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World Cup playoffs: Ighalo, Troost-Ekong among early Super Eagles’ camp arrivals

THE Super Eagles camp for their Qatar 2022 World Cup playoffs opened in Abuja on Monday morning with a handful of players reporting before noon.

The first set of players to arrive numbered five, led in by vice-captain William Troost-Ekong.

The Watford centre-back was joined by his partner in the heart of Nigeria’s defence Leon Balogun of Glasgow Rangers.

West Brom defender Semi Ajayi and Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka completed the group of early arrivals from the United Kingdom.

Ola Aina of Torino also flew in early from Italy to make up the first set of players in camp on Monday morning.

Al Hilal striker Odion Ighalo later joined the first five on Monday morning to bring up the number of players in camp to six as at noon.

More players are expected in Abuja by Monday evening, with Tuesday set to be the deadline for arrivals.

The first leg of the playoffs is scheduled for Friday night at the sometimes volatile Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, the same ground where Super Eagles head coach Austin Eguavoen lost 2-0 with the Nigeria U-23s to Ghana in an African Games qualifier in 2011.

The second leg will be played in Abuja on Tuesday next week at the newly refurbished Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

The winners of the tie between unfriendly neighbours will join four other countries to represent Africa at the Qatar 2022 World Cup in November.

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Naija Times