Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has praised his side’s performance after they secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Lesotho on Friday.
The Super Eagles headed into the encounter needing a victory to keep their slim hopes of qualification alive for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA disciplinary committee sanction on South Africa had thrown the group wide open, meaning any of the top three teams could clinch the automatic ticket available from the group.
“I want to start by saying I think Lesotho played a great game”, the Super Eagles captain revealed after the match.
“You know, it wasn’t easy to come here. We knew that from the start, and I can understand the disappointment and the frustration because they put up a very good fight.”
Nigeria dominated the match, but only great goalkeeping and resilient defending from the hosts prevented them from a wide margin victory.
After a scoreless first 45 minutes, the three-time African champions received a massive boost in the second half, when they were awarded a penalty kick after a handball by Motlomelo Mkwanazi.
Troost-Ekong stepped up and converted the resulting spot-kick to put his side ahead in the tie on the 55th minute.
Debutant Akor Adams, who had only just come on in the second half, doubled the lead with a clinical finish in the 80th minute.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali’s error allowed Lesotho to pull one back, before he almost gifted them an equalizer late in the game after another lapse in concentration.
“These kinds of games are never easy, and the coach explained that the pressure that’s on us has been there since March, maybe since the start of the qualifiers, and we just wanted to focus on ourselves.
“It took some time to come out of the changing room[after the first half] because of the frustration, because we all want to do better always,” Ekong concluded.
Nigeria must defeat Benin Republic in their final match on Tuesday and hope South Africa fail to win against Rwanda, to qualify as Group C winners.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
