Sport
Troost-Ekong Says Super Eagles Will Use Different Playing Styles Against Russia
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has shared how the team plans to handle their upcoming friendly clash with Russia in Moscow on Friday. Speaking at a press conference hosted by the Russian Football Union, Troost-Ekong explained that the team won’t stick to one playing style. Instead, they’ll mix things up on the pitch.
“I can’t give too much away since the coach is here,” he joked. “But we’ll definitely try to combine different approaches. We have a clear idea of what to do.” He also mentioned that the squad is still adjusting under their new coach, having only started working with him earlier this year. He sees the game as a valuable opportunity to grow stronger as a team.
“There are some new faces in the squad,” he added. “It’s a big moment for them to show they can live up to what the coaches expect.” The Super Eagles are coming off a penalty shootout win over Jamaica last Sunday in the 2025 Unity Cup, where the match ended 2-2 in regulation time before Nigeria edged it 5-4 on penalties.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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