Super Eagles defender Chidozie Awaziem has said Wilfred Ndidi will surely be missed in Sunday’s 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs final with DR Congo, as Chidera Ejuke expressed delight with his contribution in the win against Gabon.
Ndidi received an early yellow card in the 4-1 semi-final win against Gabon which automatically ruled him out of the fixture with DR Congo.
However, the former Leicester City star did not allow the setback affect his performance as he played a key role in the dominant win against the Panthers.
With the game tied at 1-1 and heading to extra-time, Ndidi set up Victor Osimhen with a delightful through pass which the Galatasaray strike failed to convert.
But in first half extra-time, Ndidi provided the assist for Chidera Ejuke who put the Super Eagles 2-1 ahead.
Also Read: 2026 WCQ: Congo Will Fight To Beat Super Eagles — Desabre
Commenting on the suspension Awaziem expressed confidence that the Super Eagles have midfielders who can fill in for the Besiktas star.
“We will definitely going to miss him but we have other players who can play the same position and who are as good as well,” Awaziem told the Super Eagles media team.
“The coach trust everyone’s ability and I just hope that whoever comes into the position will try to do better than him so that the team can come up with the victory which is the most important.”
Awaziem was introduced in the second half of extra-time and gave the assist for the fourth goal.
Speaking on his performance and the emphatic win, he added:”It was an amazing performance for the team not just for me and I’m really excited that I got some minutes also the win and the assist.
“I’m really happy we got the win which we deserve, now we just focus on the next game on Sunday.”
On his part Ejuke, said he is happy he was able to contribute to the team’s success.
“It was incredible to be honest, we worked very hard and I’m just excited I could contribute.
“I wanted to go in and contribute what I can for the team positively, bring in my skills, going forward and helping the team to defend.
“We were positive and excited going into this game hoping to get the victory.”
By James Agberebi
2 Comments
Ndidi would be missed, but if Osimhen gets another yellow card it’ll be very unfortunate, especially if we eventually qualify for the final game in March.
Ejuke needs a couple of things in his game:
1) Improve defensive contribution. Help out your fullback more.
2) Stop excessivr dribbling. He tends to overdribble. Holding on to the ball for too long, when a quick pass would have done the job.
Working on these 2 areas will make him an even better player.