Yohanna, others fired up ahead Olympic qualifiers

Zadok Yohanna. Photo Brighton

Nigeria U23 players Zadok Yohanna, Chibuzor Nwoko and Peter Edokpolor have declared the Olympic Eagles ready to beat the Democratic Republic of Congo in their qualifying tie, with Yohanna promising victory in both legs, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The two teams meet in the first leg in Lubumbashi on Friday, with the return at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, November 17. The tie is part of the race to the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Egypt, which is also Africa’s qualifying competition for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Yohanna, a Brighton winger, said the players were determined to win. “Tomorrow, by God’s grace, we will win our game,” he said in the video posted by the NFF on X.

“We would win both legs. I am assuring Nigerians that tomorrow, by God’s grace, we will beat DR Congo. We would beat them home and away. Keep us in prayers.”

Benfica forward Edokpolor also promised a positive result, saying, “I assure Nigerians that we are coming home with the victory.”

Fulham midfielder Nwoko appealed for support from Nigerians.

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“I play for Fulham; we are going to win tomorrow. Please come support us,” he said.

Nwoko is one of seven players in the squad who received their first Nigeria caps in the October friendly against Russia. He is available after renewing his expired Nigerian passport in London last week.

The team arrived in Lubumbashi on Wednesday. Head coach Éric Chelle will not be on the touchline because of the Super Eagles’ qualifier against Tanzania in Uyo, so assistants Deniran Ortega and Bright Ozebagbe are in charge. The match at the TP Mazembe Stadium is reported to be behind closed doors for security reasons.

Nigeria received a bye into the second round, and this is their first match of the campaign. DR Congo beat Mauritania 2-1 on aggregate to reach this stage. The winner over two legs will face either Burkina Faso or Sierra Leone in the final qualifying round in March 2027.

Nigeria last featured in the men’s Olympic football tournament at Rio 2016, where the team, under Samson Siasia, beat Honduras 3-2 in the third-place match to win bronze. The country missed the 2020 and 2024 Games, so qualification would mark a return to the Olympic stage.