Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has backed goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali following the criticism that trailed his performance against Lesotho on Friday.
Nigeria edged Lesotho 2–1 at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane to keep their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying hopes alive, but Nwabali’s errors drew attention.
The Chippa United shot-stopper fumbled a cross that led to Hlompho Kalake’s goal, and a late mix-up with defender Semi Ajayi nearly gifted Lesotho an equaliser. The blunders sparked visible frustration among teammates and triggered harsh reactions from fans online.
Ekong, however, defended his teammate, stressing that mistakes are part of the game and that unity remains key within the squad.
“The frustration came because we believe in ourselves and want to win every game,” Ekong said.
“When you concede after pushing to score, it’s natural for people to be upset, but this is not a time to point fingers. Football is a game of mistakes if there were none, there wouldn’t be goals. We fight for each other.”
He added that the team had already discussed the incident and moved on.
“The beauty of this group is our honesty. We talked about it briefly after the match, then shifted focus to the next game. There’s no blame we win and learn together.”
