How injury denied me Super Eagles debut – Zadok Yohanna

Brighton & Hove Albion forward Zadok Yohanna has revealed that an injury kept him from making his first appearance for Nigeria during the Unity Cup tournament in London, before he eventually earned his international debut with the Olympic Eagles.

The youngster received his maiden invitation to the Super Eagles squad ahead of the tournament at The Valley but was unable to join the team after suffering an injury setback at his previous club.

He has now taken his first step in international football, making his debut for Nigeria’s U23 side in their 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in the first leg of their 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie in Lubumbashi on Friday.

Despite the disappointing result, Yohanna, speaking to the media team in camp, described the opportunity to represent Nigeria as a special moment for him and his family, and expressed gratitude for finally making his international bow.

“First of all, I give God the glory. It was a really proud moment for me and my family,” Yohanna said.

“I was really happy for the invitation despite that this is not the first time.”

The forward also explained that his absence from the Super Eagles squad for the Unity Cup was due to injury, stressing that he had previously been considered for a senior national team call-up.

“I have been invited before but due to some problem of injury, I didn’t participate,” he added.

Meanwhile, Yohanna remains optimistic about Nigeria’s chances of overturning their first-leg deficit against DR Congo and progressing in the race for a place at the 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt.

The Olympic Eagles suffered a 2-0 defeat in Lubumbashi, leaving them with a difficult task ahead of Tuesday’s return fixture at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.

However, the Brighton forward believes the quality within the Nigerian squad is sufficient to inspire a comeback.

“Of course, with the quality players we have, I am really sure that they would win,” he concluded.

Yohanna is, however, expected to miss the return leg against DR Congo in Nigeria with a fresh knock, dealing another potential blow to the Olympic Eagles as they attempt to keep their qualification hopes alive.