By Dayo Awoniyi
Super Eagles defender William Troost Ekong has praised new head coach Eric Chelle following a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Rwanda, marking a successful debut for the Malian coach.
After the triumph, Ekong was full of compliments for Chelle’s leadership and the team’s performance under his guidance.
“I want to congratulate the coach on his first win. It wasn’t an easy game, but we worked hard to understand his tactics,” Ekong said during the post-match conference.
The 2-0 win was secured thanks to a brace from Victor Osimhen, and Ekong was quick to stress the striker’s vital contribution.
“Osimhen is a fantastic player,” Ekong said, adding, “We have so many great talents in this team. We played well as a unit, and Tolu (Tolulope Arokodare) made his debut, while Alhassan adapted well to the right-back role.”
Ekong’s remarks suggest a strong sense of unity within the squad and a positive reception to Chelle’s approach.
The victory over Rwanda not only gave Chelle a winning start as the Super Eagles move forward in their World Cup qualifying campaign, but the team will also be looking to build on this promising debut performance.
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.
