The Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, is currently awaiting the results of a scan on their first-choice goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali.
This follows an injury he sustained during their Round of 16 match against Cameroon at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan.
Nwabali was stretched off the pitch after colliding with Cameroon’s Georges-Kevin N’Koudou in the box in the 72nd minute, and after initial treatment for about eight minutes, he was substituted with Francis Uzoho in the 80th minute.
According to Babafemi Raji, the team’s media officer, Nwabali sustained a knee injury, and while he allayed fears about the severity of the injury, he confirmed that the result of the scan was still being awaited.
Raji revealed that the team was still waiting for the results and mentioned that Nwabali had undergone a test/scan on Tuesday but did not specify when the results would be available.
While he stated that he did not think the injury was anything too serious that would rule him out of the tournament, he added that they would have to wait for the scan results to confirm this.
Raji also spoke about the team’s mental preparedness ahead of their quarter-final clash with Angola and noted that the players were giving their 100 percent in training to ensure victory.
He mentioned that all the players were focused on the task at hand and were taking it one game at a time.
The head coach of the team, Jose Peseiro, also spoke about the upcoming match and noted that while the Angolans were a very formidable side, his team was good at the moment.
He stated that he knew the Angolans very well, including the players, coach, and their style of play.
He added that his players would need more training and practice before the D-day on Friday.
The two-hour training session held at École Nationale de la Police, Abidjan, saw a total of 22 players put through their paces.
While Nwabali, forward Victor Osimhen, and William Troost-Ekong all sat out of the training, Raji explained that it was a routine and precautionary procedure meant to protect the players.
He clarified that players who started the game did not train as hard after matchdays, especially if they complained of aches and pains.
Raji also addressed rumors making the rounds that Osimhen had been picked for an anti-doping test, confirming that it was Kelechi Iheanacho who was randomly picked for the test after the Cameroon game.
However, he also confirmed that Osimhen was randomly picked after the group stage game against hosts Coted’Ivoire, and all players came out clean after the tests were conducted.
Nigeria will face Angola in a highly anticipated quarter-final clash on Friday at the Stade de Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan.
