Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong praised Brentford defender Benjamin Fredrick’s display in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Rwanda on Saturday.
Eric Chelle made a bold decision to start the 20-year-old defender in the heart of the defense alongside Calvin Bassey against the Amavubi, while captain Troost-Ekong was left on the bench.
It was Fredrick’s first competitive appearance and his second cap, following his appearance in Nigeria’s Unity Cup final win over Jamaica in May.
He was solid throughout and helped Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to a clean sheet in the encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
Speaking after the win alongside head coach Eric Chelle, Ekong who was a late substitute in the game for Cyriel Dessers, praised the performance of the young defender.
“I want to add something to what the coach said. The focus shouldn’t be on me, why I didn’t start,” Troost-Ekong said.
“We should say a big congratulations to Benjamin. He played an amazing game today. To come in a game that is loaded with a lot of pressure at his age here in Uyo is not an easy thing.
“That is the only thing I wanted to add and that’s the real question that should be answered and congratulations to him.”
Tolu Arokodare scored a second half winner for Nigeria, as they claimed a narrow win over Rwanda to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Can Nigeria qualify for the World Cup?
After a poor start to their qualifying campaign, Nigeria have won two of their last three matches to keep their faint hopes alive.
A draw against Zimbabwe came either side of two victories against Rwanda to move them up to third in Group C, six points behind South Africa in first position.
The Super Eagles must win their remaining three matches, beginning with their clash against the Bafana Bafana next Tuesday.
They must also hope both South Africa and Benin Republic drop points in their remaining fixtures, to stand a chance of topping the group and qualifying automatically.
However, a second place finish could mean they have to contest for the intercontinental playoffs to book their ticket at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
