The Super Eagles of Nigeria had a day to forget as they were battered by DR Congo in regular time before losing 4-3 on penalties.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will live to remember this day. The day their World Cup dreams finally crashed.

After beating Gabon 4-1 and in fine fashion, the Super Eagles came into this game with all the confidence in the world and in the first half, they showed that confidence.

Three minutes into the game, the Super Eagles were ahead and they set the tone for what turned out to be a sour story.

The Eagles controlled the first half. They owned it and they created chances that could’ve seen them kill the game in the first 15 minutes but alas, they failed to take their chances.

DR Congo made them pay for it as Elia put his team back in the mix with an equalizer.

When the second half came, DR Congo took control. The space, pace, flair and guile that the Super Eagles played with in the first half was stripped away by the tactical discipline, doggedness and hunger that DR Congo played with.

The Super Eagles couldn’t keep up especially with their star man, Victor Osimhen out injured. DR Congo tried and toyed with the Super Eagles defence and they almost took the lead but saw two of their goals ruled out for fouls in the build-up play.

It was a horrible sight for Nigerian football fans. They couldn’t create any chances in the second half and during extra time. Maybe it was their “prayers” that saw them through to penalties but the “prayers” weren’t enough to see them through as DR Congo won 4-3 on penalties to grab the last spot in the intercontinental playoffs.

For DR Congo, the dream is alive but for Nigeria, it’s back to the drawing board to figure out where it went wrong. No World Cup appearance in eight years and definitely no World Cup for Osimhen in his prime.

A golden generation that has failed to live up to expectations and have now become the Arsenal of Africa, missing out on glory just at the last minute.