Daga, Yohanna, Ahoka To Miss Nigeria Vs DR Congo U-23 AFCON Qualifier

Nigeria midfielder Daniel Daga will miss the encounter after his Norwegian club, Molde FK, requested his release. The midfielder has returned to Norway ahead of the November 17 fixture.

Naija News reports that Olympic Eagles will also be without forward Zadok Yohanna, who has been ruled out through injury, further limiting Nigeria’s options as they seek to overturn a two-goal deficit.

Nigeria lost the first leg 2-0 to DR Congo at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday and must secure a convincing win to remain in contention.

DR Congo will equally be without captain Jules Ahoka, who sustained an injury during the first leg. The midfielder is expected to return to England for treatment at the request of his club, Sunderland.

His absence means coach Guy Bukasa will be without his skipper for the return fixture as the Congolese side seek to protect their advantage.

Nigeria’s U-23 team, led by Bright Ozebagbe in the absence of Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, returned to the country on Sunday afternoon.

The contingent arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and is expected to travel to its base in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, where preparations for Tuesday’s encounter will begin.

The winner of the two-legged tie will advance to the final qualifying round of the 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt. The competition will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Copy link Copied! Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp Telegram Follow Naija News on Google Author: Ernest Victor Ernest Victor is a news writer at Naija News with over 12 years of experience in journalism, specialising in news reporting, writing and editing. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Mass Communication from Kwara State University and a Master of Science (MSc) degree in the same field from the University of Lagos. Before joining Naija News as a sports writer in 2021, Ernest worked with several digital and mainstream media organisations (Lagos Traffic Radio and Lasgidi FM), where he gained extensive experience in news presentation, interviewing, news gathering, storytelling and editorial production. You can reach him via Email: Ernestvictor@naijanews.com