Nigeria left to blame ‘voodoo’ after dramatic playoff defeat by DR Congo

Thirty-one years ago Nigeria burst on to the global stage in a golden summer at the 1994 World Cup in the US, impressing with a do-or-die attitude that helped them top their group and come within two minutes of reaching the quarter-finals by beating Italy. But the Super Eagles will not be returning to North American soil for next summer’s tournament – and they are not blaming their shooting boots. After a fraught and dramatic continental playoff final on Sunday, where Nigeria were eliminated by DR Congo on penalties, the Super Eagles manager, Éric Chelle, said that his team had been defeated by “voodoo”. Related: World Cup 2026: which countries have qualified and how did they do it? The claim came in the aftermath of a tense match in Rabat where DR Congo edged out the favourites 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time. The result means Nigeria, one of the continent’s heavyweights, will miss consecutive World Cups for the first time since 1990. After Chancel Mbemba’s decisive spot-kick, Chelle was seen confronting the opposing coaching staff on the touchline, including the DR Congo manager, Sébastien Desabre, and had to be held back by his own coaching team. Despite Desabre saying the altercation was “not an issue” in his post-match press conference, Chelle asked reporters why they had not brought up the incident to him. He then accused DR Congo of “doing maraboutage” – a term used colloquially to describe acts of magic or bewitchment. He then continued his accusations in the mixed zone. “During the penalty shootout, the guy [from] Congo did some voodoo. Every time, every time, every time. So this is why I was a little nervous after [he did that].” Chelle, who has managed Nigeria since January, went on to mimic the gestures he says he saw, saying someone of the DR Congo coaching staff was waving their hand as if shaking or sprinkling a liquid. The Nigeria captain, William Troost-Ekong, did not echo his manager’s statements, but said: “We are devastated. I am proud of the boys, they gave everything, not just today, but over the past 10 months. There are plenty of positives to take away. The future of this team is promising … but today is a very difficult day.” The loss ends a disjointed two-year qualifying campaign for the Super Eagles, which left them to sneak into the continental playoffs on goal difference. The match offered high drama from the outset. Nigeria, 19 places above their opponents in the Fifa rankings, took an early lead when Frank Onyeka’s deflected shot found the net in the third minute. But the Super Eagles’ advantage was soon cancelled out by Meschak Elia, who punished a mistake by Wilfred Ndidi to level the scores. Nigeria’s attack appeared to falter after their striker Victor Osimhen was substituted at half-time owing to a recurring hamstring problem. DR Congo grew in confidence, dominating possession and pressing hard, with Fiston Mayele having two efforts disallowed for fouls in a frantic period of extra time. Stanley Nwabali, the Nigeria goalkeeper, made a crucial clawing save to deny Mbemba’s looping header right before the final whistle in extra time. The match proceeded to penalties in the driving rain and Nigeria got off to the worst possible start, Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missing their first two spot-kicks, though Akor Adams finally replied after DR Congo’s Noah Sadiki converted. The Super Eagles were handed a lifeline when Nwabali saved Axel Tuanzebe’s penalty and further successes from Bruno Onyemaechi and Chidera Ejuke brought them back into the contest. However, after Michel-Ange Balikwisha scored to send the shootout to sudden death, the Nigeria defender Semi Ajayi saw his shot saved by DR Congo’s substitute goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, who had been brought on specifically for penalties. Mbemba then stepped up to guide his effort high into the net, sending his side through to the inter-confederation playoffs. “It’s difficult to start a match down 1-0 [early],” said Desabre after his side’s win. “But the team spirit remained high and we chose to try and control the game. Nigeria also deserves to be congratulated. The match was very close. We could have not qualified but, overall, I think we deserved the victory.” DR Congo, who have only played in the World Cup once before – in 1974 when the country was called Zaire – ran the length of the pitch to celebrate a win that keeps their distant dream alive. They join Bolivia, New Caledonia, either Iraq or the United Arab Emirates and two teams from Concacaf – who finish qualifiers on Tuesday – for the inter-confederation playoffs, which will take place in Mexico in March. The draw for the six-team tournament will be held on Thursday.