William Troost Ekong: Nigeria defender makes winning debut for Salernitana

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria defender William Troost Ekong recorded a winning debut in the Italian Serie A as his Salernitana team secured a 2-1 win over Lecce.

Salernitana survived some hairy moments to secure a narrow victory against Lecce which ended their seven-match winless Serie A run and boosted their buffer to the relegation zone.

Boulaye Dia was the beneficiary of some handy Lassana Coulibaly work before firing home from the edge of the area.

Lecce could proudly say they were one of a handful of Serie A sides not to have conceded more than twice in a league game this term, but that record looked to be coming under serious threat when Tonny Vihena latched upon Dia’s deft ball to double Salernitana’s lead.

At 2-0 down, Lecce were in real danger of being cut adrift in the contest, but Gabriel Strefezza did at least soothe those fears when he struck home to half the arrears.

The win ended Salernitana’s seven-match winless streak in the league. Ekong, who completed a loan switch from the English side, Watford was handed his first appearance as he played for the full duration of the match.

Salernitana moved a point and place ahead of Lecce in the 14th position. Up next for Ekong and Salernitana is a tough encounter with Juventus on February 7.