Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has called for patience and collective support for the national team following Nigeria’s emphatic 4–0 victory over the Benin Republic in their World Cup qualifying match, platinumnewsng.com is reporting.
Speaking during the post-match press conference, Ekong praised his teammates for stepping up and taking responsibility, emphasising that the squad is committed to improving despite recent criticism.
“You know responsibility is part of being part of this team, and today many players stood up and took responsibility, and we have seen that throughout these qualifiers. I think one other thing I want to add to that is that it’s not good when players get criticised in the way that they have been done because we try this thing with our players too often.”
“I think everyone is trying. You can come down hard on someone if they are not trying. It’s not easy to wear this shirt; it’s very heavy. It’s not easy to perform and get the results and make everyone happy.”
“We’re all trying and somehow that’s not good enough, but one thing we can say about the team is that we give everything always, and if we can, then we want to make a difference.”
The centre-back highlighted the team’s unity and fighting spirit, citing Frank Onyeka’s late goal and Victor Osimhen’s stellar performance as examples of the Super Eagles’ depth and determination.
“Today, there was the story of Frank Onyeka, who came on and scored the fourth goal. We can talk about Victor Osimhen, who deserves all the credit and praise that he is getting.” But I think for someone to come off the bench and make the difference is a testimony of what this team is we all want to play and were all fighting for the spot because we want to encourage each other.”
Reflecting on the team’s progress, Ekong acknowledged that Nigeria’s recent changes in coaching staff and limited preparation time have affected consistency but expressed optimism about steady improvement.
“There is good competition and there are too many great performances today to pick anyone individually, so to come back to your point about where this has been, I think it’s something that has taken some time.”
“We have had about 4 different coaches and there has been so much change within this team and the boys are trying they are giving their everything and you will see the team will improve with time its not easy being together for only 6 or 7 days and we have 2 games travelling all over Africa but hopefully more time we spend with the coach the team will improve.”
“We have big targets ahead next month and in December, January in AFCON, and then hopefully a final in March to get us to the World Cup, so the work is far from finished.”
The Super Eagles captain also urged fans to show patience and support as the team continues to rebuild confidence and chemistry.
“We just need a little bit of patience because we’ll continue to improve and mistakes are part of the game. What I don’t want in this team is for anyone to feel scared to make a mistake because we have so much personality and you need everyone to be able to give everything at all times to make a difference.”
“Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it does not, but we are one big family and were together, and we feel the support of 270 million people, and that’s the difference, so we’ll get better as we go on.”
Audio: Precious Chigozie