Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has commended Benin Republic for their impressive display after the 1-1 draw in Thursday’s AFCON qualifying match.

Heading into the match, Nigeria’s ticket to the 2025 AFCON was secure, but the team aimed to protect their unbeaten run and put on a display worthy of their status.

However, the game didn’t go entirely to plan, as Benin grabbed an early lead, forcing the Eagles to dig deep before Victor Osimhen’s crucial 81st-minute equalizer.

Victor Osimhen celebrates as his teammates huddle joining in after Nigeria scored against Benin in the AFCON Qualifiers. Photo | X

Reflecting on the encounter, Troost-Ekong praised Benin’s tactical approach while highlighting Nigeria’s resilience.

“I want to congratulate our coach, our team for qualifying for the AFCON. That was our objective four to five months ago when we started this campaign.” Troost-Ekong told NFF Media.

“Our idea was always to try and win this game, we don’t want to put on a showing that is not worthy of Nigeria, so, today, we obviously have to give credit to Benin.

“They had a good game plan. I thought we were a little bit unlucky in the moment they scored because we were missing a man off the pitch on the other side in Victor Osimhen and that’s when they scored the set-piece.

“Credit to them, we know they’re a good threat from that, and we know they tried to win the game, but like the coach said, 1-1 was a fair result and we’re very happy to qualify and remain unbeaten in this campaign.”

With the draw behind them, the Super Eagles now turn their attention to the final group game against Rwanda, set to take place on Monday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.