The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dream Team VI

  • AAG: Siasia unveils starting XI for Senegal tie

    AAG: Siasia unveils starting XI for Senegal tie

    Dream Team VI Coach, Samson Siasia, has named his starting XI for the team’s final group B game at the ongoing All Africa Games in Congo.

    Despite securing qualification to the knock out round, the Nigeria coach has decided to start the game against Senegal with his strongest squad, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

    It means Daniel Emmanuel will be in goal, while Sincere Seth, who has passed a late fitness test, Obanor Erhun, Ndifreke and Segun Oduduwa will provide cover for him in the match slated for Saturday afternoon.

    Skipper Azubuike Okechukwu will be supported in midfield by Kingsley Sokari and Etebor Oghenekaro.

    The trio of Umar Aminu, Junior Ajayi and Etor Daniel will lead the charge for goals.

    Starting XI:

    Emmanuel, Seth, Ndifreke, Azubuike ,Oduduwa, Erhun, Umar, Etebo, Ajayi, Sokari, Daniel

  • AAG: Nigeria down Ghana 2-0

    AAG: Nigeria down Ghana 2-0

    Nigeria on Wednesday defeated the defending All Africa Games champions Ghana 2-0 to book a place in the semi-finals of the football event of this year’s tournament.

    Nigeria’s final Group B match against Senegal, who drew 0-0 with Ghana on the opening day, will determine the overall winners of the group following the last-minute withdrawal of Egypt, africanFootball.com reports.

    Junior Ajayi opened scoring for the Dream Team in the 55th minute and Kingsley Sokari made the game safe three minutes from time.

    The Nigerians were on the front foot in the first half with Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori his team’s most outstanding player, making several outstanding saves in the one-sided encounter.

    Oghenekaro Etebo was denied from point-blank range by the Ghanaian goalkeeper a minute before half time.

    However, Nigeria finally made its dominance count 10 minutes after resumption when the dangerous Etor Daniel whipped-in the ball from the right for Ajayi to coolly slot home.

    The second goal was even more sublime. Sokari combined with skipper Azubuike Ikechukwu on the edge of the Ghanaian box and the Enyimba midfielder continued his run before he lifted the ball over the rushing Ofori for a superb finish.

  • Olympic Team’s Amuzie ‘seriously injured’

    Olympic Team’s Amuzie ‘seriously injured’

    Dream Team VI defender, Stanley Amuzie, suffered a “serious and complicated” knee injury during last weekend crucial CAF U-23 Championship clash in Congo,  officials told africanFootball.com

    The Sampdoria of Italy wingback was forced out of the second leg match in Pointe Noire and replaced by Chima Akas as a result of this injury.

    A scan has been done on the injury to determine the extent of the severity, officials added.

    Interestingly, Amuzie, who was outstanding in the first leg match in Port Harcourt which Nigeria won 2-1, has been penciled down for invitation by Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh.

    The team which sent packing Congo to qualify for the CAF U23 Championship in Senegal, is also sweating on the fitness of Warri Wolves forward, Oghenekaro Etebo.

    Etebo has been nursing a long-term knee injury which may now need surgery.

  • Dream Team will survive Congo challenges – Siasia

    Dream Team will survive Congo challenges – Siasia

    Dream Team VI head coach, Samson Siasia, has expressed confidence that his boys will emerge from challenges posed by the Congolese U-23 team with flying colours.

    The Nigerians will engage the East Africans in a potentially explosive African U-23 championship final qualifying match in their Pointe Noire fortress on Sunday, supersport.com.

    A slim 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Port Harcourt means a battle is at hand in the Congo Brazzaville enclave reputed for all manner of antics against visiting teams.

    However, Siasia remained hopeful as he announced just before the team’s departure on Thursday that he relishes big games.

    “I love big games and I’m not shy to say so and this is with every sense of modesty.

    “Pointe Noire is another tough session, but I look forward to it.

    “It will not be easy although nothing good in life comes easy, but we will give it our very best shot and return from Pointe Noire with victory,” supersport.com quoted the former Super Eagles manager as saying on NFF website, www.thenff.com.

     

  • Dream team VI departs for Addis Ababa

    Dream team VI departs for Addis Ababa


    The Nigerian Super Eagles, dream team VI are set to depart the country for Addis Ababa, Nigeria football governing body reports.

    This was made known on Thursday after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) posted a tweet concerning the journey of the team.

    “Dream Team VI about to depart Abuja all the way to Addis Ababa where they would connect Pointe Noire. Send in your wishes for the team,” NFF posted.

    [news_box style=”2″ display=”tag” link_target=”_blank” tag=”NFF, Enyeama, Oliseh” count=”6″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link” header_background=”#000000″ header_text_color=”#e8e8e8″]

  • Injured Abdullahi out of Dream Team’s Congo clash

    Injured Abdullahi out of Dream Team’s Congo clash

    Dream Team VI midfielder, Shehu Abdullahi , has been ruled out of Nigeria’s all-important CAF U-23 Championship second leg qualifier against Congo on account of injury, africanFootball.com reports.

    The defensive midfielder or right fullback was expected to join the team training camp in Port Harcourt on Monday.

    The Uniao da Maderia of Portugal midfielder told africanFootball.com he suffered the injury while in action for his Portuguese club in a pre-season game in Porto on Sunday night.

    “I am out of the U-23 game because I am injured. I suffered a hamstring injury today (Sunday) while in action for my team in the final game of the pre-season, which we lost 1-2 to Boavista,” Abdullahi told africanFootball.com.

    “I am disappointed with the injury because my mind was on the game, I have no choice but to pull out.

    “I will communicate to the coach and another official of the U-23 team to tell them about the situation.”

  • Siasia drafts 4 foreign pros to Dream Team VI

    Siasia drafts 4 foreign pros to Dream Team VI

    Nigeria’s U-23 national team popularly called Dream Team VI has invited four foreign based players to join the other three players also invited from the Africa Youth Championship Champion; the Flying Eagles to boost his team ahead must win return leg, final round qualifier of the 2015 All Africa Games slated for Congo Brazaville.

    Sporting-Life exclusively gathered from the Dream Team VI’s Chief Coach Samson Siasia yesterday in Abuja that he had already sent invitations to the players’ clubs through the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the players invited are: Club de Africaine of Tunisia’s attacking midfielder, Patrick Nwankwo , Paul Nwachi from Denmark, Atanda Ololade Sodiq from Apolonia Fier FC of Albenia’s central defender Atanda Ololade Sodiq and Osmanlispor of Turkey’s midfielder Aminu Umar.

    The four players are expected to hit Serob Hotel Abuja camp of the team latest next week Monday after helping out in their club’s weekend matches while the three Flying Eagles invitees: striker Taiwo Awoniyi, right back Musa Mohammed and left back Mustapha Abdullahi will join the team today.

    “Yes it is true I have discussed with the Nigeria Football Federation to send invitations to the following players Patrick Nwankwo, Paul Nwachi, Atanda Sodiq and Aminu Umar to join the team for our return leg match against Zambia in Lusaka.

    “Also three of the invited four Flying Eagles players namely Musa Mohammed, Taiwo Awoniyi and Mustapha Abdullahi will join the team tomorrow morning (this morning) for preparations for Zambia’s match too”, Siasia told Sporting-Life shortly after the team’s workout at the main bowl of the Abuja National Stadium yesterday.

    Sporting-Life can also report that goalkeeper Dele Alampasu of the Flying Eagles who was also invited could not make it as a result of injury.

    Coach Siasia was initially unhappy that the Flying Eagles trio failed to join the team as scheduled since Sunday but had to pardon them and gave them up till today to join the team.

    “We don’t have the luxury of time on our hands and there is need for these guys (players) to have more training time together to blend and gel together. But they have told me that it was the elections that prevented them from coming to camp on time. So I am expecting them to join the team tomorrow (today)”, Siasia disclosed.

  • Olympic Team ready for Gabon – Siasia

    Olympic Team ready for Gabon – Siasia

    Nigeria’s U-23 coach, Samson Siasia, said his boys are in fine fettle ahead of Saturday’s 2015 All Africa Games qualifier against Gabon in Abuja.

    The Dream Team VI, as the Nigeria team is fondly called, defeated the Gabonese 4-1 in Libreville and is now expected to advance to the next round of the competition, supersport.com reports.

    Reports had however surfaced last week that the players had expressed anger following the refusal of the Nigeria Football Federation to pay them the “agreed $1,000 winning bonus” following the success in Gabon.

    Siasia said he prefers not to discuss issues about money, insisting that his charges are only concerned about playing football matches.

    “The NFF officials did not say they will not pay the boys. Nobody complained about being paid $1,000. 00 too,” Siasia told supersport.com.

    He added that winning the second leg fixture against Gabon remains the major objective for his team.

    “We don’t want to talk about money because that will distract the players. The boys are not complaining about money and that is the most important things.

    “These boys are very young boys that are looking to having a bright future. We are giving them the right platform and trust me, they will all tell you it’s not about money,” he said.

  • European tour will benefit Dream Team – Siasia

    European tour will benefit Dream Team – Siasia

    Dream Team VI coach, Samson Siasia, believes the friendlies against Egypt and the overseas training camps will benefit his team, as the players prepare for the 2015 All Africa Games qualifiers.

    The team has already been booked a four-legged international friendly with the Egyptian U23’s and then a playing tour of Turkey and possibly Malta and the United Arab Emirates before the first Africa Games qualifier against Gabon on February 20, and Siasia believes having such preparations can only be beneficial to the players and  improve them.

    “It’s a good thing that we are going for the overseas training camp and also playing the friendly matches against Egypt, it is what we asked for and I think it is good preparation for the boys. They have been training locally here and it is time to test against international opposition and see if they can stand the test,” Siasia told sl10.ng.

    The 47-year old has also not been lucky to have the bulk of the overseas based players he invited and has been working with a handful of overseas based players that showed up and majorly the home based players.

    But Siasia still do not expect to have the full complement of the invited overseas based players for the tour, but expressed hopes he can get a few more.

    “It will not be a FIFA free period so we understand that we may still not get all the overseas based guys. But we hope some of them can join us there, since it will be easier for them,” the coach told sl10.ng.