Every Ghanaian player was scared of Victor Osimhen – Troost-Ekong

Ghana and Nigeria played out an entertaining goalless draw at the Baba Yara Stadium in the first leg of the Qatar 2022 qualifying playoffs.

It was a cagey encounter that saw a defensive masterclass from both teams, but chances were far and few between the strikers on either side.

Napoli forward Osimhen was touted as one of the players to watch, having scored 11 goals for the Serie A side this season.

However, the 23-year-old striker was handled by Ghana’s defensive partnership of Alexander Djiku and Daniel Amartey.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Troost-Ekong praised the Black Stars’ resilience but suggested that they were scared of Osimhen.

“I’m not going to tell you what we’re going to do in Abuja, but it was difficult for the guys in the wings. I think the pitch also didn’t help,” the Super Eagles captain said.

“It was a dry pitch so we struggled to move the ball quickly. But I think it’s also great work from Ghana that they figured it out, they played well… but I think everyone was quite scared of Victor [Osimhen].

“They were two against one most of the time. But we’ve learned from today and we’ll try to exploit their defence in a different way.”

Meanwhile, Ghana and Nigeria will face off again on Tuesday, March 29, in the second leg at the Mashood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.