Former Nigerian international Simon Zenke has applauded the Super Eagles quality in defence after their 2-1 win over Iran in Friday’s friendly match.
The three-time African champions recorded a hard-earned victory over their Asian counterparts in the first match of the four-nation tournament currently going on in Turkey, which also sees Jordan and Costa Rica compete.
The Super Eagles were without several regulars of the squad for the encounter, but showed little signs of fragilities to begin their campaign with a solid win.
Related: Iran coach Ghalenoei hails Nigeria quality after friendly match defeat
William Troost-Ekong retired from international football ahead of the 2025 African Cup of Nations and was unavailable, while young defender Benjamin Fredrick has been out of the national team since suffering an injury late last year.
Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey, who forms one part of Eric Chelle’s preferred centre-back pairing, was injured ahead of the clash against Iran and was forced to withdraw with a back injury.
In their place, Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez and Trabzonspor centre-back Chibuike Nwaiwu came on for their debut and delivered very composed performances at the back, giving fans plenty to look forward to in the future.
Moses Simon and Akor Adams grabbed both goals for Nigeria, while Mehdi Taremi pulled one back for Iran in the keenly-contested affair.
Zenke lauds Nigeria’s quality in defence
Reacting to the match, Zenke who formerly played for Nigeria at the youth level, was impressed with the quality in depth by the Super Eagles.
“I am happy with what I saw in the game against Iran, and the win was very good. I was particularly impressed with the two players – Fernandez and Nwaiwu – who came on as substitutes,” Zenke revealed.
“The reality now is that Nigeria has a variety of options in central defence, and that is a very positive development. The coach now has a real selection dilemma in that area. I have always believed that the more quality players you have, the better. Nigeria now boasts a strong pool of centre-backs to choose from at any time.
I do not envy the coach. It is a selection problem, but a good one. That department looks settled for many years to come”, he concluded.
The Super Eagles will conclude their campaign in Turkey on Tuesday, when they face Jordan who played a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica in the other encounter.
