Nigeria national team defender, Shehu Abdullahi, has taken responsibility for Super Eagles 2-0 defeat against rivals,South Africa in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday.

South Africa win in Uyo broke a 25-year jinx aganist Nigeria thank to second half goals from Tokelo Rantie and Percy Trau and Abdulahi believed his team performed poorly.

“We lose as a team and win as a team. A bad day in office & we accept responsibilities for the defeat. Trust us, we will bounce back better.”

“We lose as a team and win as a team. A bad day in office & we accept responsibilities for the defeat. Trust us, we will bounce back better”,  Shehu Abdullahi tweeted using his official handle.

Nigeria dictated things for a larger part of the game but failed to take the initiative thus they paid dearly for failing to convert the numerous chances they got while also making very obvious the absence of John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses.

The flat-footedness of the team’s defence paved way for Rantie sneaking in to head in after Elderson Echiejile failed to deal with Mphahlele on the right hand side.

A bid to salvage the situation saw the team go all out for a corner kick and left the goalkeeper unprotected. The South Africans took advantage of this mistake when Percy Tau scored with his first touch of the game after beating the offside trap, went round Daniel Akpeyi and finished it off brilliantly for the winner.

Nigeria’s next match international match will be a 2018 World Cup qualifiers against AFCON Cup holders Cameroon at home on August 27 before the retrun leg in Younde on September 1, 2017.For the AFCON qualifier they will take Seychelles in next game.