Cyriel Dessers and Leon Balogun were in action as Rangers secured a penalty shootout win over Fenerbahce in the second leg, round of 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.
Super Eagles right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel was in Fenerbahce’s starting line-up after returning from suspension.
Rangers lost the return leg 2-0 at Ibrox with the scoreline at 3-3 on aggregate but went on to win 3-2 on penalties.
At Old Trafford Manchester United hammered Real Sociedad 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick by Bruno Fernandes.
The Red Devila, whose other goal was scored by Diogo Dalot, went through on a 5-2 aggregate win.
Also, Lyon and Tottenham Hotspur sealed qualification into the last eight following wins against FCSB and AZ Alkmaar respectively.
While Lyon recorded a 7-1 aggregate win thanks to a 4-0 second leg win, Spurs came out tops 3-1 at home to with an aggregate scoreline of 3-2.
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This squad selection is an absolute insult to logic, common sense, and everything football stands for. Let’s break it down.
Somehow, in the infinite wisdom of the NFF and Eric Chelle, Onyebuchi of Enugu Rangers in Nigeria is now a better center-back option than Leon Balogun of Glasgow Rangers—a seasoned international with years of experience playing at the highest level. Meanwhile, Tolu Arokodare, a striker with zero international experience is deemed a better choice than Cyriel Dessers, who, despite his ups and downs, has at least proven himself on the big stage.
And just when you think it can’t get worse, Nathan Tella, a natural winger and striker, gets injured, and instead of calling up another attacker, we get… wait for it… a DEFENDER, Jordan Torunarigha! Meanwhile, an actual winger, Chidera Ejuke, arguably one of the most skillful dribblers Nigeria has, is wasting away in Spain, overlooked like he doesn’t exist. What kind of selection logic is this?
It doesn’t stop there. Yusuf Abdullahi, with just three competitive games in the MLS, is somehow considered a better midfield option than Frank Onyeka, who has 22 Bundesliga appearances in one of Europe’s toughest leagues. And to put the final nail in the coffin, Papa Daniel of Niger Tornadoes, a player who has been inactive for five weeks, gets a call-up ahead of Dele Bashiru, who is shining for Lazio in Serie A and in Europe.
And this isn’t for some meaningless friendly or an experimental tournament. These are crucial World Cup qualifiers! Matches that will determine whether we make it to the biggest footballing stage or sit at home like we did in 2022, sulking over another national failure. We’re watching a squad list filled with absurd, indefensible decisions that scream politics, favoritism, and outright negligence. Must we bring godfatherism into everything we do in this country? Must we? Why is someone like Very Dark Man not screaming injustices like this on his platform? Why is Berekete Radio not exposing this form of national disgrsce? The NFF is too comfortable getting away with these ridiculous behaviors. It’s do annoying.
We say we want to be like France, Brazil, and England, but how do we expect to compete with them when our squad selection is based on connections rather than competence?
Let’s be very clear: if Nigeria fails to qualify for the World Cup, the blame falls squarely on those making these disastrous decisions. And when the consequences come—dropping more points in matches we should dominate—no one should act surprised. This squad is a ticking time bomb, and we all know exactly who to blame when it explodes.