Leon Balogun and his defensive partner William Troost-Ekong were pleased after Nigeria qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and took to social media to celebrate the win over Zambia.

For the second time in three World Cup qualifying matches, the Mainz and Bursaspor stars helped goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa to keep a clean-sheet, even though there were some nervy moments for the trio in the first half.

''DREAMS COME TRUE! #Russia2018 🏆 NIGERIA IS COMING 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬 #AllForHim,'' tweeted Leon Balogun.

Balogun added : ''Mama & Papa I made it - your little Leon is going to the World Cup. We’ve came a long way. Proud to be your son ❤️🙏🏽''.

Born in West Berlin to a a Nigerian father and German mother twenty nine years ago, Balogun was eligible to represent the senior national teams of Italy and Germany before playing competitively for the Super Eagles.

Troost-Ekong had represented the Netherlands U19 and U20 squads before making his Super Eagles debut against Chad in June 2015.

Igho Kingsley