Olympic Eagles Face Major Blow As Zadok Yohanna Returns To England For Treatment

Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles have suffered another setback ahead of their crucial second-leg encounter against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in the second qualifying round of the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations, following the injury to Brighton winger Zadok Yohanna.

The 19-year-old sustained the injury during Nigeria’s 2-0 defeat to DR Congo at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, November 13, 2026. He was forced to leave the pitch and has since returned to England for further medical assessment and treatment.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Yohanna’s injury has ruled him out of the return fixture, dealing a significant blow to Nigeria’s hopes of overturning the two-goal deficit and progressing in the qualifying competition.

The Olympic Eagles must now secure a convincing victory in the second leg to keep their qualification hopes alive. The winner of the two-legged contest will advance to the final qualifying round, where they will face either Sierra Leone or Burkina Faso.

Egypt is scheduled to host the 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations, which will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has urged his players to remain focused ahead of their Tuesday encounter against Tanzania in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The Franco-Malian tactician warned his players against repeating the mistakes that contributed to their previous 3-0 away defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

Chelle said the team had learnt important lessons from the disappointing result and stressed the need to maintain their winning mentality.

“We played badly against Guinea-Bissau. We spoke to the players after the game, and our motivation was to bounce back. We played under pressure,” he said.

He added that the team must learn from setbacks and concentrate on upcoming challenges rather than dwell on previous results.

“That’s football. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. When you lose, you have to correct your mistakes and focus on the next game.

“This victory is good, but it is important that we think about the next game, which we must also win,” Chelle stated.