Olaleye Idowu
Former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi, has singled out Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, for praise following Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Lesotho.
He hailed the defender’s composure and leadership after the centre-back took the responsibility of playing the spot kick that gave Nigeria the lead in South Africa on Friday.
Recall that the Super Eagles captain was heavily criticised by fans and pundits in recent months over his poor performances in the qualifying series.
Troost-Ekong was blamed for Zimbabwe’s late equaliser during a qualifier in Uyo in March 2025.
He scored an own goal in Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against South Africa last month.
The defender returned to Chelle’s starting lineup on Friday due to an injury crisis, as Benjamin Fredrick was moved to right-back.
“This game is more mental because at this point, if you begin to panic, you might lose it easily. And with the Nigerian spirit that I know, they will have to push until the end,” Akpeyi said on SuperSport.
“They’ve proven it here; they came up with a strong mentality. The first half was goalless, and they had to push themselves to make sure that they got the three points.
“For Troost-Ekong to step up because I know how many times he was criticised for the last game that they played. Now for him to step up to take that penalty, it’s something that only senior players can do.”
Nigeria will be hoping to beat the Cheetahs of the Benin Republic on Tuesday to brighten their chances of playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico.
