Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has backed Stanely Nwabali to redeem himself when they take on Benin in their final game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday, SportsPremi reports.
Nwabali has proven to be a reliable shot-stopper for Nigeria since he broke into the scene and became the number 1 for the Super Eagles last year.
However, in recent games for Nigeria, he has come under scrutiny due to some questionable performances. It all came to a head last week in Nigeria’s penultimate World Cup Qualifiers game against Lesotho.
The Super Eagles dominated the game and could have easily run out with a thumping win. However, things changed in the dying minutes, with Nwabali fumbling a cross, which Lesotho capitalized on and scored.
Then, in the final minute of the fixture, Lesotho got within a few centimeters of scoring a second after another clanger from the Chippa United goalkeeper. But the Super Eagles eventually survived and ran out with a 2-1 win.
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Following that performance, Nwabali has gotten a lot of stick from Super Eagles fans, with some even for coach Eric Chelle to bench him against Benin.
However, ahead of the fixture on Tuesday, Troost-Ekong has solidly backed Nwabali. He has called on supporters to also rally behind the Chippa star.
“We’re a team, and we stick together. Stanley has made big saves for us in this campaign—against Rwanda, South Africa, even last year,” Troost-Ekong said, per Brila FM.
“One mistake doesn’t change that. We need him, and he’ll be ready for Benin.”
Can The Super Eagles Count On Stanley Nwabali?
Stanley Nwabali was impressive for the Super Eagles in the run-up to their second-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations last year.
But he has not been entirely convincing in recent games for Nigeria. His temperament and approach to games has been questionable at times.
Still, the mistakes against Lesotho were just his first, and it’ll likely not happen again. Moreover, the current goalkeepers in camp have not proven to be better.
Nwabali will be hoping to redeem himself when they play Benin on Tuesday.
