The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Eaglets

  • Eaglets can beat Brazil, says Kanu

    Eaglets can beat Brazil, says Kanu

    Ex-international, Kanu Nwankwo has backed the Nigeria’s U-17 football team to beat Brazil when both teams meet in the quarter final of the FIFA Under -17 World Cup in Chile on Sunday.

    The Golden Eaglets hammered Australia 6-0 in Viña del Mar to reach the last eight where they must now line up against three-time champions, Brazil.

    They booked a date with the Golden Eaglets after beating New Zealand 1-0 courtesy of an extra-time strike by Luis Henrique Farinhas at Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar.

    In a chat with SportingLife in Lagos on Thursday, the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner said the coach Emmanuel Amuneke tutored lads have to remain focused when they face the Brazilians on Sunday, November 1 at Viña del Mar.

    “We have seen them play and from the first game we see they play like champions. I believe every Nigerians where ever they are sitting and watching are not panicking and that is a good sign. They are making us proud.

    “The game against Croatia is a wake-up call which is very good and very important. If it will definitely happen, we don’t want that to happen at a crucial stage. It happened at the group stage and you can see they bounced back and they won their game and that shows they have a good coaching crew. The coach is an experienced coach and knows what he is doing.

    “Against Brazil, I don’t see them beating Nigeria with the kind of team we have. They just have to believe and do the same thing they have been doing, remain focused and they will get the result.”

    The two-time African Footballer of the Year expressed optimism that this present team will be able to defend the title won two years ago in UAE.

    “I believe we will come back with the cup. We don’t want to stop in the semi-final, we want to be in the final and still give the flavor they are giving to the world. We going do that in style and win it and bring the cup home by God’s grace,” the former Super Eagles striker said.

  • Omeruo urges Eaglets to keep up the good work

    Omeruo urges Eaglets to keep up the good work

    Kenneth Omeruo has congratulated the Golden Eaglets for qualifying for the quarter – final of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup.

    The Chelsea loanee, who played for Nigeria at the 2009 edition of the tournament, has urged the boys to keep firing on all cylinders.

    “Congratulations to the Nigerian under 17 boys who trashed Australia 6-0 to get to the quarter finals.. Keep going boys, ” Omeruo tweeted on Thursday morning.

    The central defender has also congratulated Middlesbrough, the club he spent last season on loan, for knocking out Manchester United from the Capital One Cup.

    He said : “Another big congrats to @Boro great game yesterday and an amazing result against Manchester United. ”

    Kenneth Omeruo  has resumed full training with Kasimpasa after recovering from a hamstring complaint but only made the substitutes bench against Bursaspor.

     

  • Eaglets meet Australia in U-17 World Cup quarter final

    Eaglets meet Australia in U-17 World Cup quarter final

    Defending champions, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will face Australian in the round of 16 of FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile on Wednesday.

    Nigeria finished top of Group A with six points, while Australia finished third in Group C, africanFootball.com reports.

    Winners of this game will advance to the quarterfinals to face the winners of another quarterfinal between Brazil and New Zealand.

  • Iroha tips Eaglets for Chile 2015 final

    Iroha tips Eaglets for Chile 2015 final

    Ex-Super Eagles’ star, Benedict Iroha has tipped the Golden Eaglets for the final of the Chile 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup but was tight-lipped on whether the team would defend the crown won in UAE in 2013.

    The Eaglets were rampant against Chile whom they demolished 5-1 barely three days after humiliating USA 2-0 in their first match and Iroha in a chat with SportingLife revealed that the team led by Emmanuel Amuneke has the wherewithal to qualify for the final at least.

    He said the prowess of the team as the competition continues will decide if the Eaglets have the endurance to defend the trophy and thus end the inability of the cup holders from defending the crown they won two years earlier.

    Iroha told SportingLife that the Eaglets’ first two victories shows that Nigeria’s reps will go far in the competition but that as the competition reaches its crucial stages a lot would be needed from the technical crew and the players to emerge as the champions.

    “You and I know that the Under 17 competition has never been our problem but from the U-20 when the big boys start coming in, a lot is required then. I don’t know about winning it but I am certain the Eaglets will play in the final,” Iroha told SportingLife.

  • Eaglets good for title-Garba

    Eaglets good for title-Garba

    Former Golden Eaglets coach, Manu Garba has hailed the team’s efforts after they saw off hosts Chile 5-1 to qualify for the round of 16 of the tournament.

    According to him, the team will at this rate go on to win it’s final group game against Croatia and even possibly go on to defend the trophy won in 2013.

    Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen both scored braces while Kelechi Nwakali also got his name on the scorer’s sheet in a dominant play for the Eaglets in the early hours of Wednesday.

  • Police Sports Officer pleads: Don’t put undue pressure on Eaglets

    Police Sports Officer pleads: Don’t put undue pressure on Eaglets

    Police Force Sports Officer and Nasarawa Commissioner of Police,  CP Sani Mohammed has urged football loving Nigerians and the Nigeria Football Federation not to put too much pressure on the Golden Eaglets’ kids that defeated the United States of America 2-0 in the first match.

    Nigeria topped Group A having defeated USA to pocket the 3 points at stake while host Chile and Croatia ended their match a point each but the sports administrator who is a member of All Stars and former Chess Federation President cautioned football fans to take the match as it comes and not to start tipping the Eaglets to retrain the Trophy they won in the United Arab Emirates two years ago when only one game has just been played.

    “I am very happy as a Nigerian and a football fan that the Golden Eaglets have started well by beating the United States team but we shouldn’t expect too much from them but should just take the match as it comes one after the other.

    “I like to believe that all games should be taken one after the other. My belief depends on the approach of the Nigerian team to every match they play in the ongoing FIFA U- 17 World Cup in Chile. Now that they have won the first match against USA, this will encourage them to fight to win the other two remaining matches”, the Nasarawa Police boss told SportingLife.

    He also warned, “my Chess background tells me that I don’t underestimate the opposition. So let us not be carried away. Let us give them a chance. Let them not go and chicken out. They might win the first game and lose the remaining ones and they may not qualify. First of all let us take these games with caution.

    “But now that they have given us the first victory we can begin to have hopes for sailing through to the knockout stage and qualifying from the group stage. The knock out stage could be anybody’s game. It is different strategies all together”, he also cautioned.

    The Force Sports Officer also reminded fans that nobody predicted that the Manu Garba led Golden Eaglets of 2013 set was going to win the competition for a record fourth time then. “Until when they became champion before we all started identifying ourselves with the winner. My own position is that we take a game at a time,” he also declared.

  • Anyansi commends Eaglets, cautions against complacency

    Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Felix Anyansi-Agwu has praised the Golden Eaglets for a brilliant start to the defence of their FIFA U-17 World Cup with a 2-0 defeat of USA in Santiago on Saturday.

    Second half goals by Chukwudi Agor and Victor Osimhen gave the reigning world champions three points from their first game and immense confidence ahead of a potentially –explosive clash with host nation, Chile on Tuesday night.

    “I am quite delighted with the win by the Golden Eaglets. It is always great to start a major competition with a win. That win has given the team a lot of confidence for the remaining matches of the tournament.

    “However, I am advising the boys to guard against complacency. It is only the beginning and it is only the diligent, able and courageous that will last to the end. I want them to take it one match at a time, and take each match very serious.”

    The Eaglets dominated throughout but finished an anxious first half goalless, before they underscored their superiority in the second period.

    “I have confidence in the team to go all the way. They should not only think of winning matches in the group phase, but have it at the back of their minds that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered them to win the Cup for a fifth time.”

  • USA coach admits: Eaglets were better

    USA U17 team coach, Richie Williams has admitted his team lost to a good Nigeria side on the opening day of the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile.

    The coach regretted the chances his team lost, saying if they had converted them they would have affected the result of the game.

    “We are obviously disappointed because of the outcome. We played a good first half, we were balanced, solid and we even created some chance that we were not able to convert,” said Richie Williams, whose team face Croatia on Tuesday in their second game of the competition.

    “Nigeria scored two quick goals, but thanks to unfortunate errors on our side. We were hoping to be more effective, but we lost against a good Nigerian team.”

    Saturday’s result was a repeat of the only other clash between the two countries in 2001, when Nigeria also triumphed 2-0.

  • Glo hails Eagles, Eaglets

    Glo hails Eagles, Eaglets

    Next Generation Network, Globacom, has congratulated the Super Eagles Team B for defeating Stallions of Burkina Faso in the first leg of 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) final round qualifier.

    The Eagles, who defeated  the Stallions by two goals to nil in Port Harcourt on Saturday, will  face the  Burkinabes in the return leg in Ouagadougou next Sunday and the aggregate winner will qualify for the CHAN tournament in Rwanda in January next year.

    Globacom also congratulated the Golden Eaglets for defeating USA 2-0 in their Group A opening game at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile.

    Nigeria went ahead in the 50th minute through Chukwudi Agor while Victor Osimhen increased the tally in the  61st minute.

    The Eaglets top the group after host Chile and Croatia played 1-1 and will face Croatia on Tuesday.

    “We are delighted by the weekend of victories. The Super Eagles and Golden Eaglets really made Nigeria proud, “Globacom said in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.

    “We urge the teams not to rest on their oars as they progress in both competitions.”

    “We especially urge the Eagles to re-enact the Port Harcourt victory when they visit Ouagadougou or at least secure a draw in order to seal the CHAN ticket. We also believe that the Eaglets will also consolidate on their win over USA when they face Croatia,” the statement further said.

    Globacom commended the Nigeria Football Federation for motivating both teams to victory while enjoining Nigerians to support them with prayers.

  • FIFA U-17 World Cup: Eaglets vow to defend trophy

    FIFA U-17 World Cup: Eaglets vow to defend trophy

    Golden Eaglets chief coach Emmanuel Amuneke shocked his audience in Satiago when he stated  that Nigeria was at the FIFA U-17 World  Cup in Chile to defend the trophy she won at the last edition.

    Speaking to the media on arrival, Amuneke and striker Victor Osimhen were upbeat about the chances of the Eaglets successfully defending the trophy.

    “We are here to defend the trophy.We are here with new players who want to write their own history and we are looking forward to our first game against the United States of America, which is very important for us.”

    Osimhen echoed the sentiment of coach Amuneke, adding that they have been psyched up for the expected challenges as the defending champions. “We are here to win,” said Osimhen who is Golden Eaglets’ top scorer with 39 goals in 71 cumulative international and local matches.”Just as the coach said, we are here to write our own story as a team and players.”

    Cup holders, Golden Eaglets of Nigeria,  arrived in Santiago, capital city of Chile as one of Africa’s four flag bearers at the 16th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals, which is to be hosted by Chile between October 17 and November 8.

    Nigeria has won a record four times with the last being two years ago in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The defending champions flew into Santiago from their pre-World Cup camp base in Buenos Aires at 8:20pm local time on Tuesday (which is early hours of Wednesday in Nigeria (12:20 am), aboard a Lan Airlines flight.

    Immediately after dinner at their Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Santiago-Vitacura, where they are accommodated for their opening match against USA on October 17, Amuneke reminded his wards to focus on nothing but football as the team seeks a fifth U-17 world title.

    Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has praised the Embassy of Nigeria in Argentina for rallying behind the Golden Eaglets during their pre-World Cup preparation in Buenos Aires.

    Siji Lagunju, Assistant Director (Technical), on behalf of the Federation, said the Nigerian Embassy ably led by Mr. Tiwalade Adelanwa, the Deputy Head of Mission, contributed immensely to the Golden Eaglets’ successful stay in Buenos Aires.

    Speaking to thenff.com before Golden Eaglets’ departure to Santiago on Tuesday for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Lagunju said that the embassy staff particularly Mr. Elekwachi Ndubuisi, Mrs. Felicia Ezeorah and Mr. Abolaji Olawunmi were very impressive in the discharge of their duties.

    ” I want to use this opportunity to thank the Nigerian Embassy officials here in Argentina. We were well received right from the first day, they were hospitable like true Nigerians.

    “It was great the NFF brought us to Buenos Aires Football (BAF) to prepare for the World Cup which is a conducive environment that allows for maximum concentration. We are equally very grateful to the staff of BAF and the liaison official from Eurodata, Juan Partricio who were also wonderful during our stay in Buenos Aires.”