Nigeria ace Semi Ajayi produces 100% AFCON masterclass to ease West Brom contract woes
West Brom missed out on the opportunity to progress in the FA Cup after their 2-0 loss to Wolves on Sunday (28 January).
The Premier League club came out on top in a feisty fourth round encounter at The Hawthorns, which was sadly overshadowed by crowd trouble.
But well away from the Midlands, West Brom star Semi Ajayi did manage to progress in the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria.
The central defender played the entire 90 minutes as his side defeated Cameroon in the round of 16 on Saturday (27 January).
Nigeria won the clash 2-0 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Angola, with that game scheduled for Friday (2 February).
It was another commanding display from Ajayi for his national team, with the defender completing 85% of his passes, with four out of five accurate long passes, as per Sofascore.
More impressively, the centre-back won all four of his aerial duels (100%), as well as making two clearances, one interception and one tackle on his way to a clean sheet.
The top display may not have been for West Brom, but it should still ease the mind of Baggies manager Carlos Corberan.
The man in the dugout will have major concerns over his defence in the near future, with the contracts of regular centre-backs Kyle Bartley and Cedric Kipre expiring at the end of the season [Express & Star, 25 November 2023].
Even fellow central defender Erik Pieters sees his deal at The Hawthorns come to an end this summer. Fortunately Ajayi is in fine form, and importantly his West Brom contract is valid until the summer of 2025.
In other West Brom news, an Express & Star journalist has shared what a lone Albion fan did to the Wolves staff amid a pitch invasion during the FA Cup clash.
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