Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has expressed joy over an uneasy night in Polokwane that ended in their favour—a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Lesotho, keeping Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying hopes alive, but far from assured.
For long stretches, it looked like one of those nights where pressure and frustration could boil over.
Troost-Ekong leads by example in gritty win over Lesotho
Lesotho sat deep, defending with stubborn discipline, while Nigeria struggled to find rhythm or precision in the final third.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 55th minute when Motlomelo Mkwanazi handled in the box, giving Nigeria the chance they had been chasing all night.
Captain Ekong stepped up and made no mistake, calmly tucking his penalty into the corner to hand the Super Eagles a crucial lead.
Then came a moment that will live long for debutant Akor Adams — the ex-Montpellier striker came off the bench to lash home in the 80th minute, doubling Nigeria’s lead with a confident finish.
Lesotho, however, refused to fade quietly. Hlompho Kalake capitalised on a rare defensive lapse to pull one back almost immediately, ensuring the contest ended nervously at 2–1.
Focus turns to Uyo as Benin clash looms large
Giving his thoughts on the game against Lesotho, Troost-Ekong said:
“Lesotho played a great game; it wasn’t easy to come here. We knew that from the start, and I can understand the disappointment and frustration because they put up a very good fight.
“This kind of game is never easy; the coach talked about the pressure which has been on us since March and maybe since the start of the qualifiers. We just want to focus on ourselves; we are a team of guys that have winning mentality. They want to be winners.
“We want to be at the World Cup. We’ve said that now for the last nine months, and we have the opportunity now with the game in Uyo against Benin, who we know we have to score a certain amount of goals. It was always the case we need to win the game, and we have to win it convincingly.
“It’s going to be a big test again, but now I think the team is really ready. We’ve been working on the pressure for such a long time, and we know this is the final, and we worked really hard to get there, and like the coach said, I’m proud of the team.”
Victory over Lesotho brought relief rather than celebration, as attention now shifts to the decisive home encounter against Benin in Uyo—a game that could define Nigeria’s qualifying campaign.
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