Zadok Yohanna speaks on injury which denied Super Eagles debut

Brighton & Hove Albion forward Zadok Yohanna has revealed that an injury prevented him from making his first appearance for Nigeria during the Unity Cup tournament in London before he eventually made his international debut with the Olympic Eagles.

Yohanna received his maiden invitation to the Super Eagles squad ahead of the tournament at The Valley but was unable to join the team after suffering an injury setback at his former club.

The youngster has since taken his first step in international football, making his debut for Nigeria’s U23 side in their 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in the first leg of their 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie in Lubumbashi on Friday.

Despite the disappointing result, Yohanna described representing Nigeria as a special moment for him and his family, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to finally make his international bow.

“First of all, I give God the glory. It was a really proud moment for me and my family,” Yohanna said.

“I was really happy for the invitation despite that this is not the first time.”

The forward also explained that his absence from the Super Eagles squad for the Unity Cup was due to an injury, adding that he had previously been considered for a senior national team call-up.

“I have been invited before but due to some problem of injury, I didn’t participate,” he added.

Meanwhile, Yohanna remains optimistic about Nigeria’s chances of overturning their first-leg deficit against DR Congo and advancing in the race for a place at the 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt.

The Olympic Eagles face a difficult task after losing 2-0 in Lubumbashi, with the return fixture scheduled for Tuesday at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.

However, the Brighton forward believes the quality within the Nigerian squad is enough to inspire a comeback.

“Of course, with the quality players we have, I am really sure that they would win,” he concluded.

Yohanna is, however, expected to miss Tuesday’s return leg after reportedly sustaining a fresh knock, potentially dealing another setback to the Olympic Eagles as they seek to keep their qualification hopes alive.