The Nation Newspaper

Tag: eagles

  • CHAN Eagles to camp in Pretoria

    CHAN Eagles to camp in Pretoria

    Nigeria’s home-based team, CHAN Eagles will be camped in Pretoria, South Africa, ahead of their matches slated to begin in Rwanda next year, Sportinglife can reveal today.

    Sportinglife gathered that the Glasshouse men opted for Pretoria because of its prevailing weather conditions being in tandem with what the climatic conditions will be in Rwanda next year when the Africa Cup of Nations matches for home-grown players are played.

    Interestingly, the CHAN Eagles chief coach, Sunday Oliseh had proposed Tanzania as the team’s camping ground which also enjoys the same climatic conditions as Rwanda in January. But that proposal was jettisoned because the CHAN Eagles are drawn to play some of their matches on synthetic pitches which cannot be found in Tanzania.

    The Africa Nations Cup of home-grown players begins in Rwanda on January 16 with Nigeria’s CHAN Eagles’ first game against Niger Republic on January 18 in Kigali.

  • JANUARY 2016 FIFA-FREE WINDOW: Swazis woo Eagles for friendly

    JANUARY 2016 FIFA-FREE WINDOW: Swazis woo Eagles for friendly

    Against the backdrop of report credited to Super Eagles’ head coach, Sunday Oliseh who disclosed that Sihlangu Semnikati of Swaziland gave his team a tough fight and would love to engage the side in a friendly match in the future, Harris Bulunga who led the Southern African nation to Nigeria has welcomed another challenge game.

    Bulunga in an exclusive chat with SportingLife yesterday from Swaziland stated that they would jump at the offer to face any of the top nations on the continent and that they won’t have a second thought if Nigeria’s senior national team makes concrete offer to tackle them.

    Oliseh had during the post-match interview with journalists in Port Harcourt’s Adokie Amiesimaka Stadium praised the Sihlangu Semnikati for their resilience and determination while adding that they are a side he would like to face in the future in a friendly match.

    Bulunga while reacting to Oliseh’s complimentary remarks accepted the Eagles’ challenge and also added that the King’s Shield were treated to wonderful reception on their return to Lobamba and that some institutions donated cash to the team to appreciate their impressive display against mighty Eagles even though they eventually lost.

    Swazi coach still insisted that the result would have been different had they played with four of their players who missed the tie due to injuries and that they have started building on their outing with the Nigeria’s national team.

    “Eagles’ coach said they would like to face us in the future and I want to say that we will be willing to play all top teams in Africa and Nigeria is part of those list. We will be happy to play Nigeria anywhere if the friendly match is made concrete. We were happy with our display against the Eagles and even though we lost, we went out with our heads high.

    “We have started to build on the way we played against the Eagles and we are hoping that our performance can be more consistent in the AFCON qualifiers so that we will be able to play in 2017 AFCON. We are not taken our two matches with the Brave Warriors of Zimbabwe lightly at all. We know those matches will define if we will play at AFCON or not,” Bulunga told SportingLife.

    He disc;osed that the Swazi Football Federation has promised to give the senior national team the necessary support to ensure that the team qualifies for the 2017 AFCON as they presently top Group L with four points from two matches.

    Bulunga said that their double header with Zimbabwe next March would define their place in the Group and that they won’t like to joke with those two matches.

    SportingLife recalls that Swaziland senior national team lost 2-0 on aggregate to the Eagles in the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier played last week.

  • Abdullahi expects Eagles at Russia 2018

    Abdullahi expects Eagles at Russia 2018

    Super Eagles midfielder Shehu Abdullahi says it will be a difficult task qualifying for the FIFA 2018 World Cup but he is confident coach Sunday Oliseh can lead them to get the ticket.

    Abdullahi played at right back in the first leg Africa zone qualifier against Swaziland and did quite well especially in the return leg in Port-Harcourt.

    Goals from Moses Simon and Efe Ambrose gave Nigeria a 2-0 aggregate win and a passage to the final round which starts next October.

    “It’s going to be difficult. The big boys in Africa will be into the pots for the draws and I hope we get a good draw,”the AC Madeira midfielder said.

    “I’m happy we are into the final leg of the draws and by God’s grace we shall make it to Russia. The team is coming together and we play better game by game.

    “Coach Oliseh (Sunday) is a good coach and I’m sure with him we can make it. The team is young and we keep improving. It’s going to be hard but I trust the boys to come up big when it matters. Nigeria will be in Russia in 2018 by God’s grace,” he added. The 20 teams that have qualified for the third and final round of the qualifiers will be drawn into five, four-team groups. Teams will then play on a home and away basis with the winner of each group qualifying for Russia 2018.

    The group stage of the qualifiers starts on October 3rd 2016 and will run until November 6, 2017 when the qualified teams are expected to emerge.

  • 2018 World Cup draws: CHAN results will affect Eagles’ rankings

    2018 World Cup draws: CHAN results will affect Eagles’ rankings

    The 2016 African Nations Championship competition for teams as it is considered a full international tournament and a team’s performance will count in the FIFA rankings, which will be one of the yardsticks used to seed teams for the final round of the qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup.

    Nigeria occupy a disappointing 59th place in the FIFA rankings and will need to garner some good wins to enjoy a better rating and invariably a more favourable draw for the World Cup qualifiers.

    The Home Eagles will face Tunisia, Niger and Guinea in the 2016 CHAN to be hosted by Rwanda.

  • 2016 CHAN campaign: Niger meets Eagles Jan. 18

    2016 CHAN campaign: Niger meets Eagles Jan. 18

    Nigeria’s Home Eagles will kick off their campaign at the 2016 African Nations Championship  on January 18 against the Menas of Niger at the Stade Régional Nyamirambo, Kigali.

    CAF conducted the draws for the fourth edition of the competition last  weekend in Kigali; pitching the Eagles against Tunisia’s Les Aigles de Carthage as well as Niger and the Syli nationale.

    The next set of games for Sunday Oliseh’s men comes up on January 22 and 26 against Tunisia and Guinea.

    The last game will be at a different venue; Umuganda Stadium, from the first and second.

     

  • Eagles snub a blessing in disguise – Salami

    Eagles snub a blessing in disguise – Salami

    Warri Wolves striker Gbolahan Salami has said missing out on a place in the Super Eagles World Cup squad against Swaziland was a blessing in disguise as he achieved a bigger individual honour with his club.

    The bulky striker scored a brace against FC Taraba in a rescheduled league match on Monday to finish the 2015 season as the highest goal scorer.

    Salami has seen fewer chances with the Super Eagles under the new coaches but the 24-year-old is not  worried as he had time to improve his league form.

    ‘I  am glad that d I was left out of the squad, because it enabled me help my club to win our last game of the season and get a brace to push me up the ladder as the top scorer in the league.

    ‘I know timing is divine and only God knows why it happened that way but I am happy it turned out well for the team and myself,’ Gbolahan told footballlive.ng.

  • Swaziland coach: Eagles’ coaches’ changed tactics unsettled us

    Swaziland coach: Eagles’ coaches’ changed tactics unsettled us

    • Tips Nigeria for Russia 2018 World Cup

    The head coach of Swaziland’s King’s Shield, Harris Bulungu has praised the Super Eagles technical crew after they beat them 2-0 in the return leg of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier in Port Harcourt’s Adokie Amiesimaka Stadium yesterday.

    Bulungu disclosed during the post match press conference that the tactics deployed by the Eagles’ coaches which was different from the one they used during the first leg unsettled his team and it was difficult for them to get their bearing.

    He said he expected the Eagles to start with John Mikel Obi and Uwa Echiejile, who were very slow in the first leg in Lobamba and that he planned his strategy to explore the players’ weaknesses to nail the Eagles but he was surprised Oliseh and his technical crew changed them for better players.

    Bulungu stressed that the addition of Paul Onobi in the defensive midfield and Shehu Abdullahi and Chima Akas in defence made the Eagles to be more effective and very fast unlike the first leg when they were very slow.

    The Swaziland coach added that he missed four of his key players who played the first leg and that whose impact would have changed the course of the result if they had played in Port Harcourt.

    “I believe the Eagles played a better game today then the first leg.They had very fast midfielders and were very exceptional today. They changed their tactics too by changing some players we thought they would use again just like the initial leg in Lobamba. We had planned our strategy to  explore the Eagles weaknesses in the midfield and the defence because of the way they were very slow in the first leg but the Eagles’ coaches changed that and this unsettled us,” Bulungu told journalists.

    Bulungu, however, tipped the Eagles to pick one of the five African tickets to the World Cup in Russia based on the way they approached the second leg game.

  • OLISEH TO EAGLES: Show no mercy to Swazis

    OLISEH TO EAGLES: Show no mercy to Swazis

    • Players perfect penalty kicks

    Coach how has training been going?

    Very well, thank you.

    On Saturday, we had our first training session (at the Shell Residential Area) but it was just a light one. The first real session we had was on Sunday (at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium). So far, I have been impressed with the boys and the intensity of training. Hopefully, we will get the win that we will be gunning for today.

     

    Most Nigerians expected a win on Friday in the first leg. Why was that result not achieved?

    It was a game that we went all out to win. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that but we thank God that at least we have made everything open for ourselves to just win on Tuesday and qualify.

    We want to qualify and we will be going all out to win (on Tuesday).

     

    What is the situation with Rabiu Ibrahim. He did not train on Sunday.

    Has he been ruled out of Tuesday’s game?

    Yes, he has been ruled out…..he will not play. Rabiu got onto the pitch and unfortunately hurt his knee after a few minutes. He felt some pain and I thought it wise to substitute him.

    Ordinarily, he would have finished the game. It was saddening because it destabilised our (final) push. We wanted to win the game.

     

    You drilled the boys on penalties during your last training session. Are you expecting Tuesday’s game to go right down to the wire?

    As a coach, you have to be prepared for every possible scenario and penalties are one of them. We hope to finish things off but if penalties are required, we will be prepared.

    What’s the situation with your health right now after the scare the last time around?

    The doctors have me on a regime and right now all I do is work (with the team) and sit in my room but I am steadily getting better.

     

    Any message to the fans in Port Harcourt ahead of the big game on Tuesday?

    We want to thank Port Harcourt fans for their support to the team in the past.

    They have always been here for us and gave us massive support, even during our CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso.

    It was a similar story when the full Super Eagles team faced Niger Republic in an international friendly against Niger Republic.

     

    Thanks for your time, coach

    Any time.

  • Swazis get 516 Euros for Eagles’ draw

    An anonymous individual donated 8,000 Swazi Lilangeni ( equivalent of 516.33 euros) to the Swaziland National Team as an incentive following their goalless draw with Nigeria in the World Cup second qualifying round, first leg tie on Friday night.

    According to Swazi Observer, the money will be handed to the players when they return to Swaziland on November 19.

    The newspaper added that the Minister of Sports has decided not to reveal the identity of the donor until the squad returns to the country.

    A farewell function was held at National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS) Technical Centre on Saturday before the delegation jetted out to Lagos.

     

  • Eagles disappointing in Swaziland, says Akwuegbu

    Eagles disappointing in Swaziland, says Akwuegbu

    Former Super Eagles striker Benedict Akwuegbu has described as “disappointing” a barren draw recorded by Nigeria in the first leg 2018 World Cup qualifier in Swaziland on Friday night.

    However, the FK Gratkon of Austria manager has urged Nigerians to be patient with Sunday Oliseh’s new team.

    Nigeria complete with their Europe-based stars including Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi and Watford striker Odion Ighalo were shut out by a team of players who all play their football locally in Swaziland and are ranked 130th in the world.

    “To be frank it was a disappointing result considering the calibre of players both countries paraded and their ratings as far as football is concerned,” said Akwuegbu, who featured at the 2002 World Cup.

    “But we should be calm and take it easy with the team as we know the Eagles are undergoing a rebuilding process.

    “They will get to the promised land and be the Eagles we all want.

    “And I am sure they will finish them off in the return leg in Nigeria.”

    The return leg match will be played on Tuesday in Port Harcourt with the overall winners advancing to the league phase of the World Cup qualifying tournament in Africa.