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Tag: Eaglets

  • Eaglets’ Coach Amuneke screams: We don’t have a World Cup team

    Eaglets’ Coach Amuneke screams: We don’t have a World Cup team

    •As Rapture Academy boss clamours for friendlies

    The Chief Coach of the Golden Eaglets, Emmanuel Amunike, has confessed that he has no team yet for the forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup slated for Chile from October 17 to November 8, 2015.

    The ever blunt former Super Eagles attacker did not hide his feelings when he revealed that, “I don’t have a team for now. I am just being honest with you. Let us not try to create or hype things that are not real. You guys (Abuja-based sports journalists) came here today and you are expecting a miracle. We have been here for the past two weeks now and I don’t even think any of you have picked interest to come and see what we are doing.

    “So, let us be realistic as regards what we are doing. You guys know me. I don’t need to tell you who I am. I believe in my principles. I believe in what I am doing regardless of what anybody thinks of me. But I believe that everything in life has its procedure and that is the procedure we are following now.

    “Are we the best people on earth? No. But can we work hard to improve ourselves? Yes, of course. So, we are not here to convince anybody, we are not here to convince any tribe or individual. We are here to serve Nigerians with the best of our abilities. That is what we offer to Nigeria with all fairness.

    “I will also tell you that there is no pressure from any quarter as regards this job. Let me be honest with you. I have played this game to the highest level. As a coach I have been privileged also to coach to the highest level. So, everything  you do in life there will always be a process to it and that is the process I am following.

    “Am I going to do a miracle? Am I going to do this? I’m not telling you I am going to do this. But I am doing the best I can.

    “What we are doing here (with the team in Abuja) is that we remain focused, we remain loyal and honest with what we are doing. For the past two weeks we have seen some Nigerian youths that are enthusiastic and want to play football. What we have to do now is to guide them and see if we can get the best from them. That is all we are doing here”, the former African Footballer of the Year disclosed.

    Meanwhile the Chairman of the Rapture Academy International of Uyo, who lost 2-3 to the Golden Eaglets at the Goal Project Center, Abuja National Stadium on Saturday, Sammy Etuk, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to arrange more local and international friendly matches for the Eaglets in order to knock the team to shape for October’s FIFA U-17 World Cup.

    According to the veteran journalist, who is based in the United States of America, time is not on the side of the team and the only way to get the boys going is through quality friendly matches.

    “If you ask me I would say we have barely four months to the kick-off of the U-17 World Cup, which I believe is not a long time to prepare. So the Nigeria Football Federation needs to help this team by getting quality friendly matches for them to play to put the players in a competitive mood”, he advised.

  • Eaglets thrash Ifeanyi Ubah FC 3-0

    Eaglets thrash Ifeanyi Ubah FC 3-0

    Golden Eaglets, Nigeria’s U-17 side, on Saturday secured a 3-0 win over their counterparts from Ifeanyi Ubah Football Club at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project Pitch in Abuja.

    Three second half goals by substitutes Victor Osimhen, Pam Mafeng and Johnson Umah were all the Emmanuel Amuneke-led side needed to break the resolve of the resilient Anambra Warriors who stoutly defended their half in the first stanza.

    But they were unable to curtail the Eaglets’ raid in the second stanza and substitute Osimhen finally broke the deadlock when he converted a penalty. Pam Mafeng added the second goal while Umah Johnson scored the third with a sublime free kick straight into the net from the periphery of the box to the delight of the watching fans.

    “I’m quite impressed with the Golden Eaglets and we can see that coach Emmanuel Amuneke is doing a wonderful job with these boys,” said Ifeanyi Ubah, the CEO of Capital Oil and owner of the Nnewi-based club who  watched the match with his friends.” My advice to these players is to go out there and play their hearts out for Nigeria and we (Ifeanyi Ubah Football Club) are wishing the team all the best in their upcoming international competitions.”

    Also in attendance at the match watched by an enthusiastic crowd were Ahmad Kawu, Chairman of the NNL; Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, NFF’s Deputy Secretary General; Former NFF General Secretary, Fanny Amun; Former Super Eagles stars, Sani Kaita and Emmanuel Babayaro and Friday Kujah, Team Manager of Ifeanyi Ubah FC amongst others.

  • Obuh sympathises with Eaglets

    Obuh sympathises with Eaglets

    Former Golden Eaglets coach John Obuh has  sympathised with the Nigeria U-17 team, after they lost 1-3 to Guinea’s U-17 team to finish fourth at the just ended CAF U-17 championship in Niger.

    The Nigerians had been tipped to win the tournament, but failed at the semi-final stage after they were stunned 1-0 by the Amajimbos of South Africa, and any hopes of a medal finish was dashed as the Syli Babes cruised to a 3-1 win over their more illustrious Nigerian opponents.

    And Obuh, who led the Nigerian U-17s to a second place finish at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, says he understands how the team must have felt after going into the competition with so many expectations.

    “I understand how they must have felt,” Obuh began. “They went in there with so much expectation and pressure and, unfortunately, it didn’t work out well. They are young boys and most times when the pressure is too much it gets to them, which is what I think happened,” he told sl10.ng.

    Despite their failure to finish in the top three of the competition, the Eaglets, however, booked a place at the next FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, and it is expected that the team will be overhauled in time for the competition.

  • Eaglets back in the country

    The Golden Eaglets are back in the country after  taking part in the 11th African U-17 Championship in Niger Republic, where the team finished fourth.

    The contingent flew into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 2.10am on Monday, with a ticket to represent Nigeria at the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals in Chile, 17 October – 8 November, 2015.

    Head Coach Emmanuel Amuneke has already spoken about the imperative of retooling the squad ahead of the global championship, where Nigeria will be aiming to defend the title she won in the United Arab Emirates at a tournament that took place within exactly the same period in 2013.

  • 2015 AYC: Eaglets fail to win bronze

    2015 AYC: Eaglets fail to win bronze

    The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria finished fourth at the 2015 AYC after losing 3-1 to the Syli Babes of Guinea in a 3rd/4th place playoff match at the Stade Général S. K.

    Goals from Aboubacar Toure and Abdoulaye Keita in the space of five minutes gave the Syli Babes a 2-1 lead over the Golden Eaglets at half-time.

    The game was off to a predictably fast start, with both sides looking to win the third place match at the Stade Général S. K.

    After a couple of tame efforts, however, Eaglets had the lead 28 minutes into the game, when Victor Osimhen bundled in a superb team effort.

    Nigeria should have increased their lead not long after, when Abdullahi Suleiman was given far too much room but his header was saved by goalkeeper Moussa Camara.

    Immediately after Suleiman forced the goalkeeper to the save, Nigeria looked distinctly second-best, struggling to craft any moves and surrendering possession to Guinea as soon as they got the ball.

    Guinea did find their equaliser when Aboubacar netted an absolute beauty into the far corner over Akpan Udoh, stunning the Nigerian fans into silence.

    Just as Guinea’s goal appeared to deflate the Nigerians, the Syli Babes were in the lead Keita’s fantastic effort resulted in amazing goal.

    Nigeria was probably looking the more likely team to level as half-time drew closer, but the Guineans held on.

    After the break, Abdullahi wasn’t effective with his set-pieces as Eaglets struggled to create any clear-cut chance.

    With thirty-one minutes left to play Guinea made another breakthrough as Keita powered in his second goal of the day.

    Guinea almost made it 4-1, but it took the bravery of Udoh to deny Alseny Soumah from scoring.

    The Nigerian side lacked the energy to take the game to their opponents and couldn’t shrug off the disappointments of crashing out to South Africa in the semi final on Wednesday.

  • Former Eaglets coach blames Amuneke for loss

    Former Eaglets coach blames Amuneke for loss

    Former Golden Eaglets coach Alphonsus Dike has blamed Nigeria’s U-17 semi-final defeat to their South African counterpart on contentment and complacency.

    Dike told www.footballlive.ng shortly after the match that the team got lost in the euphoria of having achieved the minimum expected target from them being a World Cup ticket.

    Dike explained that the World Cup ticket brought a feeling of satisfaction on the psychology of the team which ultimately led to them being complacent and hence the loss to South Africa.

    ” They were complacent, having qualified for the World Cup they probably felt that was the ultimate. I had always insisted it was the responsibility of the coach to make the players continue with the momentum from the group stage, obviously it was a psychological thing and their attitude towards the game cost them.”

    Nigeria conceded a 26th minute goal in Niamey and it proved to be enough for the Amajimbos to record an infamous win over the Eaglets in the first semi-final of the 2015 CAF U-17 Championship on Wednesday.

  • Nigeria 0-1 South Africa: Amajimbos humble Eaglets

    Nigeria 0-1 South Africa: Amajimbos humble Eaglets

    • Zoom into AYC final

    Amajimbos secured a spot in the U-17 African Youth Championship final after beating Nigeria 1-0 in their semi-final tie on Wednesday afternoon.

    The Golden Eaglets were presented with the first opportunity in the 11th minute, as Osimhen was through on goal but delayed his shot, which was eventually cleared away.

    Mondli Mpoto came to Amajimbos’ rescue five minutes later, the shot-stopper did well to deny Osimhen, while at the other end Nelson Maluleke had his effort blocked.

    It was Molefi Ntseki’s side who broke the deadlock in the 26th minute courtesy of a well-placed finish from Khanyisa Mayo.

    The Nigerians continued to push for the equaliser but Mpoto was on hand to deny Kelechi  Nwakali and Osimhen in just before the halftime break.

    Nelson Maluleke could have doubled Amajimbos’ advantage in the 54th minute but the midfielder failed to trouble Akpan Udoh between the sticks.

    The Golden Eaglets threw everything at Amajimbos in the closing stages and nearly found themselves level in the 84th but the woodwork denied Abbas.

    Ntseki’s men survived a late onslaught from the Nigerians and secured their spot in the final of the Championships.

    Amajimbos will face the winner of the Mali v Guinea clash today.

    Here is how they lined up:

    Nigeria XI: A.Udoh, A. Saddam, A.Usman, M.Paul A. Bamidele, K. Nwakali, U. Anietie, S.Abdullahi, S.Chukwuze,O.Orji, V.Osimhen

    South Africa XI: Mpoto; Ngcobo; Frosler; Mohamme; Cupido; Mukumela; Dlala; Maluleke; Mbatha; Mkatshana; Mayo.

  • FALLOUT OF 1-0 LOSS TO SOUTH AFRICA: Eaglets to fly private jet to Nigeria

    FALLOUT OF 1-0 LOSS TO SOUTH AFRICA: Eaglets to fly private jet to Nigeria

    • As NFF praises Eaglets, technical crew 

    The Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) has commended the U-17 National Team, Golden Eaglets, for earning a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals taking place in Chile later in the year.

    NFF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick declared on Wednesday that the semi final defeat to South Africa at the African U-17 Championship in Niger Republic has not diminished the value of the Eaglets’ accomplishment.

    “Certainly, every Nigerian yearned for the Eaglets to win the African championship trophy in Niger after the boys reached the semi finals. They lost by a lone goal but we cannot accuse the players of lack of effort.

    “The present NFF administration has continued to harp on the fact that it is not only concerned with winning trophies. We want to win trophies but more than that, we want to build a sustainable football culture.”

    Pinnick assured that the boys will not be treated like outcasts following the failure to reach the Championship final.

    “The NFF will send a jet to pick the players after the third place match on Sunday. The technical crew remains intact and the NFF will give support to them to plug the necessary holes in the team so that we will have a squad capable of doing the nation proud in Chile.”

    The NFF President also noted that Cup holders Cote d’Ivoire were eliminated in the group phase of the championship in Niger.

  • Dike warns Eaglets against SA

    Dike warns Eaglets against SA

    Former Golden Eaglets coach, Alphonsus Dike has called for caution in the side’s semifinal clash against the Amajimbos of South Africa.

    The reigning world champions will challenge the South Africans for a place in the final of the ongoing African Under-17 Championship in Niger Republic on Wednesday at the General Seyni Kountche in Niamey.

    The Eaglets garnered seven points to top Group A while South Africa finished second in Group B behind Mali.

    Dike said Eaglets must be at their very best on match day to be able to outsmart the equally good South African side.

    “Unarguably, South Africa are a good side, the country’s football has been on the upward rise in recent time. It’ll certainly be a difficult encounter for both sides but the side that perseveres and maintains 100% concentration will go home victorious.

    “That means  the Eaglets must be 100% careful in their approach to the game as well as remain at their very best. I believe they will win at the end of the day but they must not underrate the opponents or lose even a second concentration.

    “Absolute concentration is the watchword throughout the duration of the encounter,” said the former Enugu Rangers coach to supersport.com.

    Dike, however, is uncomfortable with the head coach, Emmanuel Amuneke’s reported outburst that the World Cup ticket is key as far as the cadet championship is concerned.

    “The comment is capable of making the players complacent especially in a semi-final clash against South Africa. The coach needs to quickly work on the players’ morale and psyche as the championship title is worth winning in addition to the World Cup ticket.

    “The Eaglets should win the title and head to the world stage as African champions, it’ll give them added respect at the global arena,” said the former Nasarawa United coach.

    The semi-finalists at the African Under-17 Championship have automatically qualified to fly the continent flag at the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile.

     

  • Amuneke carpets Eaglets’ performance against Guinea

    Amuneke carpets Eaglets’ performance against Guinea

    Emmanuel  Amuneke, Golden Eaglets’ Head coach, has described the team’s first half performance in the pulsating 1-1 draw against Guinea  at the 11th African U-17 Championship as the worst since he took over the reins of the team almost a year ago.

    Speaking at the post match conference, Amuneke said he was shocked about the team’s performance especially in the first half, even as he praised their resilience for salvaging a point.

    “Frankly, this was our worst performance and the worst I have seen from these boys because we lost the initiative and composure of the game to the Guineans, “he said. ” We knew that the Guineans have some good individual players in No. 8( Abdul Karim Conte); No. 11( Abdoulaye Jules Keita) and No. 14( Yamodou Toure)  but we expected our boys to  compose themselves much better.”

    He, however, admitted that the tactical changes he made thereafter in the second half helped the team as Ebere Osinachi and  Orji Okonkwo who respectively  replaced Christian Charles and Suleiman Abdullahi forced the  Guineans to commit several fouls.

    “Of course, I want to praise the players for their resilience in getting a draw against Guinea because this was a difficult game for them,” he said.

    “We played much better in the second half and it was good we got the equalizer.

    “I’m not the referee and I think he is in better position to know if our equalizer was a good penalty or not. We deserved what we got but we would continue to work more for the coming matches.”

    Nigeria play Zambia on Saturday as they sought after a semifinal place and a ticket to the 2015  FIFA Under-17 World Cup slated for Chile later this year.