Pisa of Italy Star Durosinmi Leaves S’Eagles Camp to Prepare for His Wedding
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be without one of the fresh faces from their successful summer international campaign when they take on Portugal in a high-profile friendly in Leiria next week.
Pisa striker Rafiu Durosinmi was excused from the Super Eagles camp and will not feature in the friendly against Portugal on June 10. Initially, the Nigeria Football Federation described his departure from camp as being due to “personal matters”, but the real reason has now emerged.
The 23-year-old forward left the team after Nigeria’s entertaining 2-2 draw against Poland in Warsaw to travel home for his wedding ceremonies. The special occasion meant he could not remain with the squad as they moved from Poland to Portugal for the next stage of their preparations.
Head coach, Éric Chelle approved the striker’s request, recognising the importance of the milestone in the player’s personal life. With the wedding taking place just days before the Portugal fixture, there was little chance of Durosinmi returning in time to participate fully in tactical sessions ahead of the game.
His absence is a blow for a player who has enjoyed a memorable start to life with the senior national team.
Durosinmi was one of the newcomers called up by Chelle for the 2026 Unity Cup in London. He made his senior debut against Zimbabwe at The Valley, coming on in the second half as Nigeria secured a comfortable 2-0 victory.
Standing at 192cm, the former Czech league star immediately caught the eye with his strength, hold-up play and ability to trouble defenders.
His promising cameo earned him a place in the starting line-up for the Unity Cup final against Jamaica.
Partnering captain Terem Moffi in attack, Durosinmi helped Nigeria dominate the match as the Super Eagles cruised to a 3-0 victory and successfully retained the Unity Cup trophy. It was the first silverware of his international career and a dream beginning to life in the famous green-and-white shirt.
….Injury knocks out Ogbu too
Super Eagles defender, Igoh Ogbu has been ruled out of Nigeria’s international friendly against Portugal after suffering a serious injury during training, with team medical staff fearing a suspected rupture of his left Achilles tendon, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.
The Slavia Prague centre-back picked up the injury during a training session on Saturday evening and immediately received on-field treatment before being withdrawn from full participation.
Early medical assessments point toward a significant Achilles tendon problem, although the defender is expected to undergo further scans to confirm the full extent of the damage.
The development is a major setback for the Super Eagles, who are preparing for one of their most high-profile fixtures of the international window.
Ogbu had been expected to feature prominently in the defensive line due to his recent rise in importance within the squad and his strong performances at club level in Europe.
Medical officials within the national team setup have described the injury as potentially long-term, depending on the outcome of detailed imaging tests scheduled in the coming days.
Ogbu’s absence also adds to growing concern over his fitness record in recent times.
The 26-year-old defender has faced a series of minor setbacks and interruptions throughout his career, with occasional injury spells affecting his availability at both club and international level.
