The Nation Newspaper

Tag: eagles

  • Nigeria 3-0 Cameroon: EAGLES FEAST ON LIONS

    Nigeria 3-0 Cameroon: EAGLES FEAST ON LIONS

    Nigeria defeated Cameroon 3-0 in yesterday’s international friendly played at the Edmond Machtens-Stadion, Belgium.

    After the shambolic showing against  Congo DR in Mons last Thursday, the Super Eagles raised their game against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to cruise to an emphatic win and ease pressure on coach Sunday Oliseh after his major fall out with Lille goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama.

    The Eagles took a well deserved lead in the 39th minute through Efe Ambrose.

    The Celtic defender rose above the Cameroon defence to power home a free kick from the right taken by Mikel Obi.

    Incidentally, it was just minutes after that Ambrose almost put the ball into his own net when his back pass beat an on-rushing goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.

    Outstanding Moses Simon scored his second Eagles goal on the hour when he blasted past the Cameroon goalkeeper after he was released by skipper Ahmed Musa.

    Substitute Odion Ighalo took the game beyond the Indomitable Lions with a third goal two minutes from time when he headed home off a delightful cross by Elderson Echiejile from the left flank.

    Cameroon would also struggle when skipper Stephane Mbia was sent off in the 47th minute after his second booking of the night.

    Before then, Cameroon young goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa had to pull off at least two big saves to deny the Super Eagles.

    In the ninth minute, the Barcelona second team shot stopper had to go down quickly to keep out a menacing ball heading for goal.

    He got a strong hand to a pile driver by Emmanuel Emenike after 31 minutes.

    But after Nigeria’s goal, Cameroon raised their game and ought to have at least drawn level particularly in the 44th minute when Spurs winger Clinton Njie got behind the Eagles defence, but Leonard Kweuku could not get a touch to the final pass from inside the six-yard box.

  • Eagles seek redemption

    Eagles seek redemption

    Nigeria and Cameroon will renew their rivalry when the two sides meet in an international friendly at the Stade Edmond Machtens in Brussels tomorrow.

    The Super Eagles will be looking to redeem themselves after being humbled by DR Congo on Thursday night losing 2-0 to the Leopards.

    It was a game characterised with a lot of lethargic play and a subdued performance that probably resonated from the squabbles in the team’s camp few days before the game.

    Former captain Vincent Enyeama had a fall out with Oliseh and subsequently left the Eagles camp. A few hours later, he announced his international retirement.

    The build up to the game had been chaotic from the start with players getting inured and Oliseh having to make do with a tiny squad as he opened camp due to the inability of some players to get entry visas to Belgium.

    Cameroun on the other hand have a relatively quite time in Belgium preparing for the game as Volker Finke prepares his wards for the 2018 World Cup preliminary rounds with another eye on the 2017 Afcon qualifiers next year.

    The Indomitable Lions defeated Belgian Jupiler Liga side KV Oostende 3-1 on Thursday night in a friendly game almost the same time Nigeria was pummelled by the DRC.

    Nigerian striker Joseph Akpala scored for Oostende as early as the second minute but Cameroun scored three times through Vincent Aboubakar, Aurelin Chedjou and Clinton Njie to win the game.

    Oliseh will have to get his charges ready to face a rampant Cameroun side who will be looking to do a number on Nigeria considering the much documented rivalry between the two sides.

    The last time Nigeria and Cameroun met, it was a 2-1 victory for the Super Eagles as a Jay Jay Okocha inspired Eagles led Nigeria to a quarter final win over the Lions at the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia in 2004.

    Nigeria will welcome the duo of Chima Akas and Austin Oboroakpo who weren’t involved in the first game because they got to Belgium late after being held up in Nigeria due to visa issues.

    Cameroun will sweat over the fitness of Olympique Marseille defender Nik Nkoulou after he picked up a knock.

    Key matchClinton Njie v Leon Balogun

    This will be a very interesting battle as Njie’s pace is one his biggest asset and it will be a very big test for Balogun who was average against DR Congo on Thursday night.

    Njie, who is with Tottenham Hotspur, was on target in Cameroun’s win against KV Oostende and will look for more against the Super Eagles.

    He plays from the left side of midfield for Cameroun which will pit him directly against Balogun on match day if they both get to play.

    Ahmed Musa v Aurelin Chedjou

    ‘Air Nigeria’ as Ahmed Musa is popularly called will test his wits against Cameroun centre back Chedjou on match day. The Nigeria skipper was a shadow of himself against DR Congo and would want to make amends against Cameroun.

    He is going to come up against a tough centre back who is good in the tackle and excellent aerially.

    Musa’s pace will definitely be an issue for the Galatasaray defender who isn’t exactly the quickest defender out there.

    Redemption time?

    Sunday Oliseh’s reign hasn’t exactly started off on a flyer. The former Borussia Dortmund player has played three games – winning one,losing one and drawing one.

    His reign has been tumultuous to say the least and recent incidents in the teams camp have done nothing to douse frayed nerves among Nigerians.

    Oliseh will seek redemption when his team files out against Cameroun on Sunday knowing a win will ease up the pressure from fans and boost team confidence .

    Yet, another insipid performance, like the one against DR Congo, might just pump up the pressure and get Oliseh nearer to the sin bin.

     

  • Amoo, Erico, others charge Eagles to beat Cameroon

    Amoo, Erico, others charge Eagles to beat Cameroon

    Some football enthusiasts on Friday urged the Super Eagles to be focused on winning subsequent matches in spite of their 0-2 loss to the Leopards of DR Congo.

    While speaking in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, they urged the team to put the loss to Congo behind them and prepare for Sunday’s friendly game against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.

    According to most of them, the team needs to improve in subsequent matches.

    They also suggested that Enyeama’s decision to retire from international matches should not have effect on the team’s performance.

    NAN reports that the Leopards of DR Congo defeated the Eagles of Nigeria 2-0 in the international friendly played in Belgium on Thursday.

    The Eagles would be looking to redeem themselves from the defeat, when they take on the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in another friendly international at Stade Edmond Matchens, Brussels tomorrow.

    A former Eagles’ player, Fatai Amoo said he was unhappy at the substandard performance of the team against Congo.

    He said he hoped the team’s Chief Coach, Sunday Oliseh, would make necessary adjustments to the team ahead of Sunday’s game.

    “I am not happy about the defeat by Congo; Oliseh needs to work on the players and I believe positively they could do better against Cameroon.

    “Enyeama’s resignation has nothing to do with the defeat, they would be able to cope.

    “Mikel Obi has great responsibilities, he has to show experience in Sunday’s game and train the younger players,’’ Amoo said.

    Former Super Falcon’s Chief Coach, Paul Hamilton, told NAN that the team must work hard to see changes and secure victory against the Lions.

    “It seems things are not going well at the moment but I will advise them to get back to camp, work hard, be friendly with each other; that is the most important thing for the team right now.’’

    Another former Falcons’ coach, Nnena Etim, urged the team to work together and take instructions from their coach, regardless of what could have happened earlier in the team.

    “We all saw yesterday’s (Thursday’) game and there is no way to predict what the team will do or play next; all they need to do is play according to their coach’s instruction.

    “Enyeama’s decision to leave the team does not mean the National team cannot continue; he has done his best and it is his decision, however ,we must continue to go forward.’’

    Coach Joe Erico, a former Eagles’ goalkeeper trainer, urged Oliseh to make credible adjustments to the team.

    “It is not a good result but it is part of football; sometimes you win, other times you lose, but I want the coach to make relevant changes before crucial matches,’’ Erico said.

    A Eagles’ defender, Bright Omokaro, said he was happy they lost the match against DR Congo, saying the loss could cause the coach to improve in subsequent matches.

    “I am in a way happy they did not win because if they did, Oliseh might think he has arrived; I believe it will help Oliseh re-strategise.

    “The result shows they need to sit down and work hard, so that a strong team can be built. I believe they will do much better in the game against Cameroon,’’ Omokaro said.

  • Five questions for Eagles to answer in friendlies

    Five questions for Eagles to answer in friendlies

    Nigeria’s Super Eagles take on DR Congo and Cameroon in two friendlies this week and AfricanFootball.com highlights the five key posers the team will have to answer in Belgium.

    What will be Mikel Obi’s role?

    Under new coach Sunday Oliseh, it will be interesting to see what role the Chelsea midfielder will now play both on and off the pitch.

    First, Mikel is a holding midfielder at his EPL club but under coach Stephen Keshi he was handed mainly a free role in the midfield.

    Oliseh will now decide whether Mikel is best in this position or deployed to play as a defensive midfielder as how now become his trade in England.

    Mikel is one of the most experienced players now in the team after he made his full international debut in 2006. He was assistant captain when Vincent Enyeama was team skipper.

    Oliseh has now named a younger Ahmed Musa as his captain and it is yet to be known where this leaves Mikel in the team hierarchy.

    Where are the new tactics and approach?

    When Oliseh took over the team, he promised a team who will play a high tempo passing game, attacking in numbers and defending also in numbers.

    There was very evidence of that in his first two games against Tanzania and Niger.

    With less pressure playing these friendlies, it is expected those picked will now fully express the new philosophy of the new boss.

    Who is the midfield boss?

    The Eagles midfield was a major concern after the matches in September as the team continue to shop for a player who will take charge of the engine room.

    Lazio ace Ogenyi Onazi has returned from suspension and it will be interesting to see if he is the man for this job – connecting the various departments of the team with great efficiency.

    Any more new discoveries?

    Last month’s matches against Tanzania unearthed goalkeeper Carl Ikeme, Sylvester Igbonu and Usman Mohammed.

    Among the uncapped players for these friendlies are youngsters Wilfred Ndidi and Dele Alampasu.

    The omission of Watford striker Odion Ighalo from the squad last month was greeted with a huge public outcry. He now has to prove he is the man to score goals for the new Eagles.

    Who gets the goals – Ahmed Musa, Emenike or Ighalo?

    Oliseh’s team have scored two goals in as many matches and all were against Niger in a friendly in Port Harcourt – New skipper Ahmed Musa scored from the penalty spot and Moses Simon doubled the advantage.

    Will Ahmed Musa now be the man the team will rely on goals after what he has been doing for several seasons now with CSKA?

    Oliseh is a big admirer of UAE-based striker Emmanuel Emenike, but the last time he scored for Nigeria was in October, 2013, in Ethiopia – two years and counting…

    Ighalo has proved he can score at the highest level after notching five goals thus far in the EPL. But can he re-enact club form for country consistently?

  • Eagles won’t miss Moses, says Oliseh

    Eagles won’t miss Moses, says Oliseh

    •Omeruo too

    Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has said that Victor Moses’ absence in the double header international friendly matches against Congo DR and Cameroun in Mons and Denderleeuw will not affect the team.

    Moses, who was in action for his London club West Ham United in a 2-2 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in Saturday’s English Premier League for 55th minute, said he was pulling out in a precautionary move against injury.

    Earlier, Turkey–based defender Kenneth Omeruo was ruled out of the matches owing to injury.

    Oliseh, while regretting this setback, assured that the team have enough good quality options to fill the gaps left by both players.

    “We have no choice now but to work with the other players who are available,” Oliseh said.

    “The fact that the other batch of players from home were not issued their visas last week is also setting us back because we would really want to take advantage of the time to put in a lot of work.”

    Meanwhile, reports from Turkish club Kasimpasa suggest Kenneth Omeruo will be out for just two weeks, allaying fears in certain quarters that the injury could keep the defender out for a long time.

    Omeruo is, therefore, expected to be back in the Super Eagles group in November for Nigeria’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture against the winner of the Djibouti/Swaziland first round fixture.

  • Eagles jet out Tuesday night aboard Lufthansa Airline

    Eagles jet out Tuesday night aboard Lufthansa Airline

    •Six players,officials to get Belgian visas today
    •Contingent to stop over in Frankfurt, arrive Belgium Wednesday

     

    SportingLife can reveal authoritatively that the Belgian embassy will today issue visas to six Super Eagles’ players,their coaches and officials to enable them travel to the European country ahead of Nigeria’s friendly matches against the Leopards of Congo DR and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.

    The team were initially scheduled to travel yesterday (October 4), four days before the first friendly on October 8 but the embassy failed to issue them visas last Friday citing the failure of the players to attach their bank statements and club licenses as reasons.

    The players are Femi Thomas (Enyimba) , Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Prince Aggrey, Paul Onobi (Sunshine Stars), Austin Oboroakpo (Abia Warriors), Chima Akas (Sharks). Knowing the importance of these games,the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) top hierachy were said to have moved quickly to complement the efforts of the protocol department and the result was that the embassy finally agreed to issue Schengen visas to the Nigerian delegation today.

    A top source in the NFF’s glasshouse while disclosing this information to SportingLife said that the team will eventually depart  on Tuesday night through the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja aboard a Lufthansa airline flight.

    “The team could have travelled on Monday night after the Belgian embassy gave its word that visas will be issued on Monday (Today) but it was thought wiser to book their flights for Tuesday night,”the source said.

    With the latest travelling arrangement, the team is expected to fly from Abuja to Frankfurt, Germany and then make the one hour flight to arrive in Belgium on Wednesday morning.

  • CHAN Eagles face SA U-23s Oct. 13

    CHAN Eagles face SA U-23s Oct. 13

    Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles will now take on South Africa U23 team on  October 13, after the test game was moved by some days.

    AfricanFootball.com first broke the story that South Africa U-23s will take on the home-based Eagles who are preparing for a 2016 CHAN qualifier.

    Both the NFF and SAFA have now finalised that the game will be played on October 13 in Port Harcourt.

    The home-based Eagles are top open training camp on October 4, ahead of a CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso in Port Harcourt.

    The match has been fixed for October 18.

  • CHAN Eagles face South Africa U-23s in test clash

    CHAN Eagles face South Africa U-23s in test clash

    Nigeria’s home-based team will welcome South Africa U-23 side in a friendly planned for Port Harcourt on Saturday, October 10, AfricanFootball.com has  scooped.

    The home-based Eagles are preparing for a 2016 CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso on October 18 in Port Harcourt, while South Africa U-23s are getting set for this year’s Africa U-23 Nations Cup in Senegal in November.

    The U-23 Nations Cup will be the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The home-based Eagles are due to open camp on October 4 in Port Harcourt.

    Coach Sunday Oliseh has called up 19 players from the domestic league for this training camp with six other players from the league joining up with the rest of the squad after the Super Eagles friendlies against DR Congo and Cameroon in Belgium.

  • Fashanu: Iwobi not ripe for Eagles

    Former England International John Fashanu’s opinion is that Super Eagles latest invitee Alex Iwobi, is not yet good enough to be called up to the  senior national team.

    The 19-year-old Arsenal teen is yet to make his competitive debut for Arsenal at senior level but, has been one of their consistent performers at youth level where he presently captains the team.

    Last Friday,the youngster was on target for the Arsenal Under-21 in their 3-2 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a sign of his fine form but Fashanu still believes the Eagles call up is a bit early for the lad.

    “Good player with lots of potential but he is not ripe for the Super Eagles, that is just so clear and his call up is not fair to other youth players of his age bracket,” he told News24.

    Fashanu, however, said he believes the handlers of the national team  might have seen enough of Iwobi, for them to have called him up but he believes he is best suited to the youth teams of Nigeria.

    “He is one for the youth teams not for the senior team at least for now, until he gets regular game time at competitive level that is my opinion”.

  • Eagles call up: I’ll silence my critics -Abdullahi Shehu

    União da Madeira’s Abdullahi Shehu has said his invitation to the Super Eagles is a dream come true, adding that he had always harbored the ambition of playing under coach Sunday Oliseh.

    There were raised eyebrows in some quarters over the invitation of Shehu, with suggestions that his call – up was fast-tracked especially as the midfielder has found playing opportunities difficult to come by in the Primeira Liga in the young season.

    But the former Kano Pillars star hopes to silence his critics next month and is hoping to get on the pitch in the friendlies against Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

    “I’m really happy over the invitation for the friendlies next month, ” Abdullahi Shehu said to allnigeriasoccer.com.

    “I can’t wait to get started playing under Oliseh, it has always been my dream and I’m ready to fight for my place.

    “I’m very sure the Super Eagles will win all the matches and I hope I will be in both games against DRC and Cameroon.”

    It may be wrong to call Abdullahi Shehu a rookie Super Eagles invitee, having travelled to the United States with the national team for a pre – World Cup friendly against Mexico but he was one of the five players that didn’t get match time.

    “I was in the list of players for the friendly against Mexico last year in the USA but I did not play,” said Shehu.

    The 22 – year – old Abdullahi Shehu represented the Flying Eagles at the 2013 FIFA Under 20 World Cup before starring for the Super Eagles at the African Nations Championship the following year.