Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi has weighed on the controversial goal that saw Calvin Bassey equalised for Nigeria against Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Tuesday.
Bafana Bafana got in front in the 25th minute after William Troost-Ekong diverted the ball into his own net.
Bassey however levelled from a contentious goal on the stroke of half-time.
The ball however hit Bassey’s hand before going into the net.
Gabonese referee Pierre Ghislain Atcho missed the incident, and with no VAR to review it , the goal stood.
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Akpeyi’s Verdict
Akpeyi admitted that the Super Eagles “benefited” from the controversial goal.
The former Warri Wolves shot stopper however insisted that the angle made it extremely difficult for the referee to see the handball.
“With the referee standing behind, he couldn’t get the view of the action, so he was also a bit far away from the action,” Akpeyi said after the game.
“It was difficult for him to be able to pick that, whether it hit the hand or not. Not even the linesman can see from that far, and unfortunately, there is no VAR for the referee to go back to the TV and check.
” But in my view, Nigeria benefited, and we hope that this will help us to get the other points that we need to qualify for the World Cup.”
By Adeboye Amosu