By Joe Apu
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has de-scribed Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali as the statement the team needed to make as they continue their quest for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation media department, Ekong while speaking at Kigali International Airport on Saturday morning before the team’s departure expressed satisfaction with the performance but emphasized that there is still work to be done.
“It was important to make the statement that we did, and we’re all happy about it. Of course, we have not qualified yet, and there’s still a lot of work to do. But we have started the recovery in a good way, and we just have to keep working hard,” he said.
Nigeria’s dominant display at the Amahoro Sta- dium saw Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Moses Simon played key roles, evoking memories of the squad that came close
to lifting the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire last year.
As the team’s chartered ValueJet Airline fiight landed at Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, Ekong reaffirmed the squad’s commitment ahead of Tuesday’s crucial encounter against Zimbabwe.
“We read somewhere that the Zimbabweans are being motivated to come to Uyo and get a result. They should forget it. We are highly motivated by our ambition to play at the FIFA World Cup. Apart from me, Alex (Iwobi), and 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, at the same time, make ourselves proud.”
Osimhen, whose brace sealed the victory over Rwanda, echoed the captain’s sentiments, calling the remaining matches “wars” that must be won at all costs.
A victory over Zimbabwe on Tuesday will push Nigeria to nine points, strengthening their position in the race for qualification, especially if Benin Republic and South Africa cancel each other out in Abidjan.
With momentum on their side, the Super Eagles will look to build on their impressive performance and keep their World Cup dreams alive.