William Troost-Ekong scores first club goal in 14 months to help PAOK nick vital win in UCL qualifiers

Super Eagles captain Willian Troost-Ekong scored the winning goal for PAOK in their hard-fought 3-2 win over Borac Banja Luka in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers on Wednesday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Troost-Ekong has been a regular for PAOK since he joined the club last year. And despite his long-term injury that kept him out of action for the second half of last season, he retained his place after he returned to action.

The 30-year-old defender featured prominently for PAOK in pre-season, and he was in action on Wednesday when they played Borac Banja Luka in the first leg of their Champions League qualifiers.

The game was supposed to be a walkover for PAOK, but the Bosnian side were quite stubborn on the night, as they replied the two goals that PAOK scored in the first half.

However, Troost-Ekong turned up clutch for PAOK, as he scored the winning goal for PAOK in the 51st minute to ensure that they ran out with a 3-2 win.

The Super Eagles star jumped highest to meet a cross from Kiril Despodov and sent a fine header to give his side the lead.

The goal was Troost-Ekong's first club goal since May 27, 2023, when he scored for Salernitana in a Serie A game against Udinese.