The Nigeria youth international Promise David scored in the Europa League but it was not enough to keep Union Saint-Gilloise in the competition against Dutch side Ajax.
In a candid interview, Nigerian-Canadian footballer Promise David shared his experiences of handling the intense atmosphere during Union Saint-Gilloise’s recent Europa League encounter against Ajax.
Born to Nigerian parents in Canada, David has been making waves in his debut season with Union Saint-Gilloise, the former club of Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface.
 "'It was my first time' - Nigerian starlet Promise David opens up on handling noise in heartbreaking European night 1")
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 "'It was my first time' - Nigerian starlet Promise David opens up on handling noise in heartbreaking European night 2")
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David spoke about the challenges faced by his team as they attempted to overcome a two-goal deficit from the first leg.
“They knew they were a man down so they basically parked the bus and we just had to keep moving the ball around,” he told UEFA.com.
Promise David scores from 12 yards against Ajax.
Despite generating chances from crosses, David acknowledged that finding different solutions was crucial: “We did generate a few chances from crosses, but I just thought we had to find different solutions than we did in the first half.”
Union Saint-Gilloise approached the match with an attacking mindset from kickoff. “We always believed we were going to come back and win,” David emphasised.
David and his Union St.Gilloise teammate.
“From the beginning, we were putting them under a lot of pressure; that was our intention.” However, conceding early complicated their plans.
This match was David’s first experience playing in such an electric environment. Speaking further to UEFA.com, he reflected on how he prepared for it:
Promise David joined USG last summer.
“This was honestly my first time playing in a match like this… My team and coach told me to prepare for the noise and I did.” Yet, once on the pitch, everything else faded into focus: “But when the whistle blows you kind of just zone out and start doing your thing.”
The night ended with Ajax securing their spot in extra time despite losing 2-1 at home—a rare defeat for them at Johan Cruyff Arena.
For David personally, it was significant as he scored his first Europa League goal against Ajax.
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