Besiktas manager Sergen Yalcin singled out Wilfred Ndidi for praise after the Super Eagles midfielder capped off an impressive performance with a goal as The Black Eagles condemned Gotzepe to a 4-0 thrashing in the Super Lig, Footynaija.com reports.
Ndidi was making first appearance for Besiktas since returning from a brief absence afforded him by the club to attend the burial ceremony of his late father, Sunday Ndidi, who passed after a fatal car accident earlier in February.
It took the Super Eagles captain just six minutes to find the back of the net, and he celebrated the moment by running to the corner flag and hitting a salute, paying homage to his father, who served Nigeria as a soldier.
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Beyond scoring, Ndidi delivered one of his most impressive performances in a Besiktas shirt, recording a 77% pass accuracy, seven carries, three interceptions, three clearances, and won 11 of his 14 duels. Yalcin was full of praise for the Nigerian as well as the rest of the team after the game.
“There’s something you probably didn’t notice today. Ndidi played perfectly,” the Besiktas coach said in his post-match interview.
“Ndidi played one of the best games we’ve ever had. When our players fight and play like this, even if we lose the match, it won’t be a problem for us. We can lose. But when we fight like this, we lose. We tell him. It’s easy to tell him.
“But losing without doing anything is the worst thing for us. That’s why our players should fight like this. We lose, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll tell him. It’s not a problem for us.”
Courtesy of the win, Besiktas moved from fifth to fourth, overtaking Gotzepe on the Super Lig standings. With only five points separating them from third place and 11 games to go, the Black Eagles remain firmly in the mix to secure European qualification for next season.
