Nigeria: scorer against Lesotho, Troost-Ekong sends a strong message to the Cheetahs
Captain of the Super Eagles, William Troost-Ekong commented on the hard-fought win over Lesotho. The Nigerian defender praised the Crocodiles’ resistance and urged his teammates to keep the same determination ahead of the decisive clash with Benin.
Le défenseur nigérian William Troost-Ekong pendant le match du groupe A de la Coupe d’Afrique des nations (CAN) 2024 entre la Côte d’Ivoire et le Nigeria, au stade olympique Alassane-Ouattara, à Ébimpé, Abidjan, le 18 janvier 2024. © FRANCK FIFE / AFP
The captain of the Super Eagles, William Troost-Ekong, acknowledged the difficulty of the match against Lesotho on Friday, during the eighth matchday of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Nigerians won 2-1 at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, thus preserving their qualification hopes ahead of the decisive clash with Benin.
“First of all, I want to praise Lesotho’s performance. It wasn’t easy to come here and win. They played a great match, and I understand their disappointment,” the central defender said at the press conference.
Troost-Ekong admitted the victory required a huge expenditure of energy in a high-pressure context: “The match wasn’t easy. As the coach said, we’ve been living with the pressure since March, maybe even since the start of the qualifiers.”
Now, the Super Eagles are turning their attention to Uyo, where on Tuesday they will face Benin’s Cheetahs, leaders of Group C. “We must stay focused on ourselves. We always want to do better, because we have a winner’s mentality. This match is a real final for us. We know we have to score, win big and show our strength,” insisted the PAOK Salonique defender.
Despite the difficult months, Troost-Ekong says the group remains confident : “These last nine months haven’t been easy, but we now have an opportunity to seize. I’m proud of this team and we’ll keep believing until the end.” Can’t wait for next Tuesday for this West African showdown!