Super Eagles captain, William Troot-Ekong, is confident of stopping Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when Nigeria and Gabon face off in one of the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup African playoffs on Thursday in Morocco, The PUNCH reports.
After emerging as the best second-placed teams from the qualifying series, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, and DR Congo are competing for a potential place at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Their first hurdle in the longer journey is on Thursday when the Eagles take on the Panthers while DR Congo and Cameroon will clash in the other fixture. The winners will play in a final on Sunday and the winner of that encounter will proceed to the inter-continental playoffs next by March 2026 in Mexico.
Ahead of the clash, Aubameyang is undisputedly the leader of the Panthers, with the 36-year-old scoring seven goals in five appearances during the qualifiers.
Gabon emerged the best second runners-up in all the nine qualification groups, and hinge their hopes of an upset on the 36-year-old, who has turned out for English Premiership side Arsenal and German Bundesliga top team Borussia Dortmund, and is now with former European champions Olympique Marseille in France.
Troost-Ekong, while analysing their opponent, acknowledged the Marseille striker but noted he is aware of his game.
“Gabon is a strong team. Aubameyang continues to lead from the front, causing problems for defenders. I’ve played against him in Saudi Arabia, and I know what he brings. In Africa, you can’t underestimate any team, and we certainly won’t do that with Gabon,” the captain told Olympic Channel.
Reflecting on the team’s struggles during the qualifiers, the former Udinese and Watford defender also acknowledged the frustration but praised the squad’s resilience.
“We were disappointed not to qualify directly. The first five rounds were tough, and we had to play catch-up. But reaching the playoffs is still a significant achievement,” he said.Nigeria have been victorious in five of nine previous encounters with Gabon at the senior men’s level, while three of the nine matches have ended in draws.
Gabon’s only triumph – a 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifier on 25th June 1989 – ultimately cost Nigeria a ticket to Italia ’90 as the Eagles failed to secure the draw needed against Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in Yaounde on the final day of the series.
