Nwaiwu relishes Trabzonspor win over Gala - Punch Newspapers
Nigeria defender Chibuike Nwaiwu has revealed how new Trabzonspor manager Thomas Reis urged the players to remain focused as they secured a stunning 4-0 victory over Galatasaray in Saturday’s Turkish Süper Lig clash, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Trabzonspor produced one of their biggest results of the season at Papara Park, handing the defending champions their first defeat of the campaign and ending their unbeaten start. Nwaiwu, who started at centre-back and played the full 90 minutes, said Reis’ instructions at half-time helped the players maintain their intensity despite holding a 3-0 lead. “We went into the locker room at halftime. Among the things we talked about, along with our teammates, were what our coach told us: that we needed to keep going, maintain the score, and that we could finish the match with even higher scores,” Nwaiwu said, as quoted by Haber61. “Because we are up against a formidable opponent. The discussion focused on the need for us to continue in this serious manner.” UK court hands Salah six-month driving ban Awoniyi gets first Eagles call-up since 2024 Awoniyi replaces injured Osimhen for 2027 AFCON qualifiers Nwaiwu said the players had worked hard throughout the week to prepare for the difficult encounter following Reis’ appointment.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google “It was a tough week for us. You know, we worked all week for this challenging match after the spring break. With our new coach, we’ve been playing with more rhythm, and I want to dedicate this to our fans.” Reis was appointed just two days before the match following Fatih Tekke’s departure, but Nwaiwu was quick to praise the German coach for the impact he has already made. “If I have to talk about him, I would say he is a very good coach. I think he will become a part of our family,” the Nigeria international said. The 4-0 victory was sealed by a hat-trick from Mohamed Salah, while Noah Saviolo also found the net as Trabzonspor claimed a memorable win over the league leaders. Abiodun Adewale Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years
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