Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong believes his side must defeat Benin Republic in their final qualifying match to have any hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria host the Cheetahs at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo next Tuesday, knowing that anything short of a win would end their chances of playing in next year’s tournament.
The three-time African champions must also hope that South Africa fail to defeat Rwanda in another group game, to finish as Group C winners and clinch the available automatic ticket.
Bafana Bafana’s point deduction after the last round of qualifiers had thrown the group open, with Benin Republic moving top on goal difference.
However, Eric Chelle’s men secured a 2-1 win over Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday, to keep their slim chances alive.
After failing to find the back of the net in the first half, the Super Eagles were given a lifeline early in the second half after Motlomelo Mkwanazi handled a shot from Moses Simon inside the penalty area.
The referee awarded the spot-kick, and captain William Troost-Ekong confidently dispatched the penalty to put his side ahead.
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The lead became two in the 80th minute, after debutant Akor Adams, who was on as a second-half substitute, received a pass from Victor Osimhen and applied a clinical finish.
Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali failed to claim a corner, allowing Lesotho to pull one back, before another mixup in defense involving the goalkeeper almost gifted the Crocodiles an equalizer.
Ekong eyes World Cup spot with win over Benin Republic
William Troost-Ekong, who represented Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup, is hoping they can secure a return to the big stage after missing out in 2022.
However, the Super Eagles must first defeat Benin and hope that South Africa fails to win against Rwanda to book their spot at the tournament.
Speaking after the win over Lesotho, Troost-Ekong emphasized the need for his teammates to step up and fight for the victory.
“We have a team of guys who have a winning mentality and we want to be at the World Cup. We’ve said that now for the last nine months, and we still have an opportunity with the game that we’ll be playing in Uyo”, Ekong revealed.
“Of course, playing against Benin, we know that we have to score a certain number of goals.
“We’ll set the mindset that we want to go in for, but it was always the case that we have to win the game, and we have to do so basically.
“It’s going to be a big test again, but now, I think the team is really ready because we’ve been working on the pressure now for such a long time, and we all know this is the final”, the Super Eagles captain added.
“So, we worked very hard to get there and like the coach said, I’m also very proud of the team, and we keep believing until the very end, and we’ll speak again on Tuesday night.”
