Afcon 2023: Panic in Eagles camp over Nwabali’s injury as Peseiro insists Iheanacho is in his plan

Players and officials of the Super Eagles are worried that the injury that saw first-choice goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, stretchered off the field during Nigeria’s round of 16 clash with Cameroon may keep the South Africa-based keeper out of the team’s quarterfinal battle with Angola.

Nwabali was injured during the match when Cameroon’s Georges-Kevin N’koudou bumped into him when he rose to catch a cross toward the end of the encounter, which Nigeria won 2-0.

He was replaced by Francis Uzoho, who was hitherto the team’s first-choice keeper before his emergence on the scene less than three months ago.

Uzoho’s performance since he became Super Eagles goalkeeper in 2018 has been unimpressive, hence Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief when Nwabali came into the picture. But it seems that Coach Jose Peseiro would revert to the former Golden Eaglets goalkeeper if Nwabali fails to recover on time for the game against Angola on Friday night at the Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan.

Speaking on Nwabali’s injury after the game, Peseiro said he would only know the extent of damage about 48 hours after Saturday’s game.

Peseiro said Nwabali assured him that he would recover for the next game, adding, however, that the doctors working on the Chippa United goalkeeper would be in a better position to explain things to him today.

“If he fails to recover, we will play with a goalkeeper in the next game. We will play 11 players; I believe in all my players. But I’d like him to recover…all the players want him to play in the next game,” Peseiro said.

The coach said after the recovery session, the team would shift attention to Angola, a team he described as one of the most dangerous sides in this competition. He said the players have been given a two-day off before returning to training for the quarterfinal clash with Angola.

“I think my players know how important the clash with Angola is. We are playing with a fantastic spirit now, but we must be focused on the target and train more before the next match,” Peseiro said.

He praised Victor Osimhen for his work rate against Cameroon, saying, “he is a fantastic player for our team, we have very good players, he will win the ball, hold play until our players arrive.”

Earlier, Nwabali told the media after the game that he felt some muscular pains, adding that he was waiting for the doctors’ assessment to know the extent of the injury.

“I feel I will be ready for the next game, but I still feel some pains. You know when injury is new, you always feel pains,” he said. The result of the scan on the goalkeeper’s injury would be out today.

Meanwhile, Peseiro has opened up on the situation of Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who is yet to feature for the team.

“I know his (Kelechi Iheanacho) value and capabilities. I don’t like speaking about this kind of situation, because other players didn’t play also like Kelechi. He arrived here without practice, without the collective practice,” Peseiro said