Nigerian defender Igoh Ogbu is facing another spell on the sidelines after aggravating a hamstring injury during Slavia Prague’s 4-1 defeat to Pafos on Wednesday night, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The setback is the latest in what has been a frustrating season for the Super Eagles centre-back, whose fitness problems earlier put his place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in serious doubt.
The 24-year-old eventually made Nigeria’s 28-man squad and featured in three matches as the Super Eagles claimed the bronze medal in Morocco.
However, the injury has resurfaced at club level, as Ogbu was forced off just after the hour mark against Pafos, shortly after the Cypriot side had gone 2-1 ahead.
He was replaced by Daiki Hashioka, with Slavia already chasing the game in search of their first UEFA Champions League victory of the season.
The timing was particularly poor for the reigning Czech champions. Slavia had responded to Vlad Dragomir’s early opener through Stepan Chaloupek, only for Bruno to restore Pafos’ lead nine minutes into the second half. Late goals from Anderson Silva and Mislav Oršić compounded the misery.
For Ogbu, the concern runs deeper as a similar hamstring issue had previously ruled him out for three months, and this latest recurrence raises fresh questions about his availability in the coming weeks.
So far this season, the Nigerian defender has managed just seven starts from a possible 29 appearances across all competitions, highlighting how much his progress has been disrupted.
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