Stanley Nwabali has come under fire from a section of Nigerian fans…
Nigerian Afrobeat star Odumodublvck has backed Stanley Nwabali to maintain his starting shirt in the Super Eagles squad, amid backlash from sections of Nigerian fans, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nwabali has maintained his place as the first choice goalie for Nigeria since breaking into the fold last year, just before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
At the time he joined the team, he was a breath of fresh air, as Nigeria had struggled to get a reliable shot-stopper in previous years.
After the AFCON, Nwabali was even linked to some clubs outside Europe and some top African teams.
But recently, Nwabali has not been as flawless as before. Although he has hardly made any mistake leading to a goal, he has seemed shaky a few times.
As such, some Nigerian fans have been quite critical of him. Some fans have even called on coach Chelle to bench him and make Maduka Okoye the number 1.
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However, afrobeats star Odumodublvck, who is an ardent football fan, has backed Nwabali to maintain his place in the starting 11. Odumodublvck noted that even the best goalkeepers in football history made mistakes.
“This guy is everything you need in a goalkeeper. Big, strong, good with his feet and hands, and distribution wise,” Odumodublvck said on X.
“You cannot say he is easy to beat. I agree he is erratic, but just like Barthez, Oliver Kahn, Grobbelaar, and Rene Higuita. I love his personality, very interesting, my number 1.”
How Did Stanley Nwabali Fare Against Gabon?
Despite many calls from fans, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle stuck to Stanley Nwabali when they faced Gabon on Thursday in the CAF World Cup playoffs.
The Chippa United man actually had a very good game. As usual, Nwabali was cool, calm, and collected in goal.
He commanded his area well, in fact, he was excellent with the aerial balls. The Super Eagles star also made some fine saves.
The goal he conceded was a fortuitous one, as it came through a deflection off Bright Osayi-Samuel.
However, Nwabali has to work on his ball usage. He holds on to the ball way too much and almost got into trouble twice against Gabon.
Unless something serious happens, the Chippa United man will likely man the sticks for Nigeria against DR Congo on Sunday.