Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has described Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda as the perfect statement to reignite their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes.
“It was important to make the statement that we did, and we’re all happy about it and the manner in which we did it,” Ekong said.
“Of course, we have not qualified yet, and there’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’ve started the recovery in a positive way, and we just have to keep working hard.”
Ekong chose not to dwell on Nigeria’s sluggish start to the qualifiers, instead emphasising that the team remains firmly in contention.
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“I don’t want to go into the circumstances that led to the first four matches unfolding the way they did. The good thing is that we can still recover and revive the campaign, and we have done that.”
Upon the team’s arrival in Uyo on Saturday, Ekong swiftly turned his focus to Tuesday’s crucial Day 6 clash against the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
“We’ve read that the Zimbabweans are highly motivated to come to Uyo and get a result. They should forget it,” Ekong declared.
“We are hugely motivated by the ambition to play at the FIFA World Cup. Apart from myself, Alex Iwobi, and perhaps a couple of others who played in 2018, this generation is hungry to compete at the highest level. We want to make Nigeria proud and do ourselves proud.”
A victory against Zimbabwe on Tuesday would take Nigeria to 9 points, keeping them firmly in the hunt for a World Cup spot, particularly if Benin Republic and South Africa share the spoils at Abidjan’s Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny.
CAF World Cup Qualifiers Table
