Odegbami urges Nigerians to forgive William Troost-Ekong after Zimbabwe mistake

By Monsurah Olatunji

Nigeria’s third all-time highest goalscorer, Segun Odegbami, has called on football fans to forgive William Troost-Ekong after the defender apologized for his costly mistake in Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe.

Troost-Ekong, who had been a standout performer at the 2023 AFCON, was at fault for Zimbabwe’s late equalizer, which left Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes hanging in the balance.

With just minutes remaining in the match at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Tuesday, Troost-Ekong lost concentration, allowing Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chirewa to score and cancel out Victor Osimhen’s opener.

Odegbami, reflecting on the incident in his Vanguard column, acknowledged the gravity of the mistake: “Unfortunately, what Ekong did may haunt him for the rest of his life. It could be the moment Nigeria lost the opportunity to go to the 2026 World Cup.

“It could turn out to be his last chance to attend a World Cup. It was a moment Nigerians, all 250 million of them, will remember forever.”

Despite the mistake, Odegbami urged Nigerians to forgive Troost-Ekong, recognizing his years of service to the national team.

“William Troost-Ekong has since apologized for that poor decision, and Nigerians have no choice but to forgive him,” he said. “The bottom line is that Nigeria had no business letting victory slip through their hands with only a few minutes of the match to go.”

Odegbami also described the Zimbabwe match as a “bad day at the market” for the Super Eagles and acknowledged that Nigeria would need more than just prayers to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup.