By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria vice captain, Wilfred Ndidi, has revealed that his Turkish Super Lig side, Beşiktaş, expected a challenging outing against Konyaspor, prompting the team to give extra effort to secure a 2–0 victory.
The Black Eagles claimed the win in a rescheduled match on Wednesday, with Ndidi opening the scoring in the 21st minute, connecting perfectly to a corner delivery. The goal marked the 28-year-old midfielder’s first for Beşiktaş since his summer move from Leicester City.
Tammy Abraham added the second for the hosts, capitalizing on a defensive lapse from Konyaspor 17 minutes from time.
Reflecting on the win, Ndidi told the club’s official website: “The match went as planned. We knew it would be tough, we wanted to win, and we did.
“That’s the important thing. We knew the opponent’s plan. We worked hard and got results.
“We’d worked on dead-ball arrangements in training. Everything we worked on in training paid off. This gave us momentum for the match.”
The result extended Beşiktaş’s solid form in the league and underscored Ndidi’s growing influence at his new club.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
