AFCON 2023: William Troost Ekong reveals Nigeria strategy to tame Angola

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria defender, William Troost Ekong is expecting another tough encounter as the Super Eagles face their Angolan counterparts in the quarter-final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Abidjan on Friday.

After a slow start to the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea, the team has grown into the tournament as one of the formidable sides.

A 1-0 win over hosts, Cote D’Ivoire started the run of three straight winning runs without conceding a goal.

Another 1-0 victory over Guinea Bissau ensured that the three-time African champions finished second in Group A before securing a place in the last eight with a 2-0 win over Cameroon.

And the PAOK FC defender assures his side the team would not take the game against the Palancas Negras likely.

“I think the AFCON has taught us so much, I think there’s no such thing as a big team or a small team anymore,” the deputy Super Eagles captain said on BBC News Africa.

“We are very motivated, we saw them play after we played and they look like a very good team so it’s going to be a difficult game.

“We are looking forward to it on Friday, but we’re going to be approaching it the same way we’ve approached every game which is to go and win it.

“I think we’ve improved as the tournament’s gone on and we’re going to be looking to do the same now.”

This will be the first meeting between both sides at the AFCON after meeting at FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and AFCON Qualifiers.