Zadok Yohanna reveals injury prevented Super Eagles debut

Brighton & Hove Albion forward Zadok Yohanna revealed that an injury prevented him from making his expected debut for Nigeria during the Unity Cup tournament in London. The 21-year-old, who received his first invitation to the Super Eagles squad ahead of the tournament at The Valley, could not join the team after suffering an injury setback at his previous club. However, he made his international debut with the Olympic Eagles in a 2-0 defeat to DR Congo during the first leg of their 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie in Lubumbashi on November 11, 2026. Despite the disappointing outcome, Yohanna described the opportunity to represent Nigeria as a special moment for him and his family, expressing 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." He explained that his absence from the Super Eagles squad for the Unity Cup was due to injury, noting 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. Yohanna remains optimistic about Nigeria's chances of overcoming their first-leg deficit against DR Congo and progressing toward qualification for the 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt. The Olympic Eagles face a challenging return fixture on November 15, 2026, at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne. Nonetheless, Yohanna 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 due to a fresh knock, posing another potential setback for the Olympic Eagles as they aim to keep their qualification hopes alive.