The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Eaglets

  • Eaglets settle down at Sheraton Dreamland

    Eaglets settle down at Sheraton Dreamland

    The Golden Eaglets are lodged at the Sheraton Dreamland Hotel and Conference Centre sited about an hour drive from the Cairo International Airport.

    The Emmanuel-Amuneke tutored side did not get to their new abode until about 11:15pm local time (10:15pm Nigerian time) on Wednesday night but have since settled down well at the pleasant environment.

    The Sheraton Dreamland is within the ambit of The 6th of October City-in a private urban development area that is reportedly a few kilometres west to the famous Pyramids of Giza.

    Moments after breakfast by Muslims, who are observing the Ramadan, the team took a walk around the impressive Dreamland Park much to the delight of the players.

    “This place is beautiful,” volunteered Douglas Uzama, an indigene of Edo state. “I have been to the amusement park in Benin but this is a wonderful place. In fact, this is my first time of travelling outside the country and I’m really enjoying it.”

    Other first time travellers like pint-sized Sunday Ali, Henry Okebugwu, Jack Ipalibo, Chinedu Madueke and a host of others were pleasantly surprised while savouring the facilities on offer at the Sheraton Dreamland Park.

    “It is good to be here with the team,” stated Madueke. “This was the first trip outside the country for most of us and you can see that we are really excited about it.

    “But the most important thing is the matches we are going to play and I believe this is a good motivation for me as well as my teammates,” he added with a relish.

  • Amuneke fires-up Eaglets against Egypt

    Amuneke fires-up Eaglets against Egypt

    Emmanuel Amuneke, Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach, has told his players to gird their loins as they face their Egyptian counterparts in two-test matches slated for today and Sunday.

    The former Zamalek and  Barcelona winger  actually  stopped  the lads in the middle of a trek around  their  Sheraton Dreamland camp on Thursday  to remind them  about the importance of the task at hand.

    “You can see  how beautiful this place is but  you  have many more beautiful years ahead of you if only you can cease this opportunity by  being responsible  and ready to fight  for a place in the team.

    “I want you to give these two matches your best to prove again that you are good enough to be picked,” he said.

    The two matches would take place at 10pm local time (9:00pm in Nigeria) due to the on-going observance of the Ramadan by the Muslims but Amuneke said he was not disturbed by the arrangement.

    “We are expecting a tougher game because we saw their reaction (the Egyptians) after they lost the first game to us in Kaduna,” he stated matter-of-factly. “They were furious as such; we are expecting a much more difficult game on Friday (today).

    “We have also seen that they have progressively improved with the way they beat Sudan home and away in their last African U-17 Championship qualifiers but we would be ready to present them with a tough opposition,” he noted.

    He enthused  further that his  players would not be caught napping under floodlight  following their  experience at the  WAFU B Under-17 Tournament, adding that  the Ramadan  would have no adverse effect on the matches.

    “What we have been doing all this while is to prepare our boys mentally ready to play under any situation because we actually played and won our first match in Togo under floodlight,” he stressed. “Most of our players are used to playing during Ramadan and the same goes to the Egyptians, so I don’t think it would affect us.”

  • Suleiman shines as Eaglets crush Cross Rivers side 6-1

    Suleiman shines as Eaglets crush Cross Rivers side 6-1

    Suleiman Abdullahi produced a man-of-the match performance yesterday as the Golden Eaglets thrashed a Cross River State selected side 6-1 at the Abraham Ordia Stadium complex inside the University of Calabar.

    There were goals also for Golden Eaglets’ trio of Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Nwakali and Jack Ipalibo while Kingsley Ogoyi scored the consolatory goal for the Cross River State selected side.

    Abdullahi scored the first goal and Golden Eaglets’ landmark 50th after 15 matches, in the 9th minute when he struck a text-book free kick from the periphery of the opposition box. Beanpole striker, Victor Osimhen added the second goal five minutes later when he connected a whipped-in corner kick by Lazarus John.

    However, Eaglets’ defender, Dayo Femi conceded a penalty in the 16th minute which was well converted by Kingsley Ogoyi who sent Amos Benjamin the other way.

    In the 35th minute, it was the turn of Cross River State selected side to concede a penalty which Abdullahi buried beyond the reach of goalkeeper Fidelis Ogiri.Abdullahi would get his hat-trick in the added time of the first half when he nodded home a pin-point pull out by Orji Promise.

    Both sides brought fresh faces in the second half but it was the Golden Eaglets that showed more enterprise with better ball possession. Barely five minutes after the restart, Chinedu Madueke was hacked down from behind in the box after a fine dribble run and the resultant penalty was scored by Nwakali.

    But for all their good play and artistry, the Golden Eaglets were unable to press the advantage but within seconds to spare, Jack Ipalibo scored arguably the best goal of the day when he initiated a one-two pass with Ebije Yahaya before burying the ball behind the goalkeeper.

    Golden Eaglets’ coach, Emmanuel Amuneke (MON) in a post match analysis, commended the spirited performance of both teams despite the lopsided score line.

    Eaglets vs CROSS RIVERS

    Under-18 Selected

    A. Benjamin, U. Abbas, U. Ogugua, , D. Femi, L. John, H.Okebugwu, E.Agenor, K. Orji, V. Osimhen, O. Promise

  • 33 Eaglets picked

    33 Eaglets picked

    Golden Eaglets coach Emmanuel Amuneke has picked 33 players for the next phase of training  camp in Calabar ahead of an African Junior Championship qualifier in July.

    The team will end the first phase of their programme with another practice match against Ibadan-based SRHD Sports Football Academy at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project Pitch on Friday before departing for Calabar this weekend.

    The Eaglets will in July clash with the winners between Burundi and DR Congo in continuation of the qualifying tournament for the 2015 African championship in Niger.

  • Benin stop Eaglets 3-1 on penalties

    Benin stop Eaglets 3-1 on penalties

    The Golden Eaglets failed to book their ticket for the Final Match of the WAFU B Tournament on Friday following a 3-1 penalty shoot-out loss to Republic of Benin-after both neighbours had played out a pulsating 1-1 draw.

    Golden Eaglets’ second-half substitute, Suleiman Abdullahi cancelled Benin’s Adaomu Nassiru’s early minute lead and a winner did not emerge in regulation and extra time. The Golden Eaglets started the game without injured midfielder Kingsley Michael who was replaced by Dayo Femi. But as early as the second minute, Femi was punished for ball-watching when fleet-footed Nassiru ghosted past him to score the opening goal of the match.

    Few minutes later, it was the turn of the Eaglets on the other end when Joshua Auta nearly grabbed the equaliser but his shot was cuddled by Benin’s goalkeeper. The Nigerians were undeterred despite good possession of the ball by the Beninois and about a quarter of an hour, Orji Okonkwo latched on to a through pass from Kehinde Ayinde. The languid striker out-paced two defenders and shot straight into the net but his joy of grabbing an equaliser was short-lived by Nigerien referee, Lalidia Souleymane who ruled otherwise.

    Jack Ipalibo also went close in the 37th minute when he drove through the pack but saw his pile driver missing the target. Towards the end of the first half, it was the Nigerians who were on the receiving end and were twice saved by the bar in the 42nd and 4th minute.

    In the second half, Coach Emmanuel Amuneke brought in Suleiman Abdullahi for Dayo and his inclusion brought some order to the Nigerian midfield. The Golden Eaglets’ skipper, Kelechi Nwakali was hacked down in the box in the 63rd minute but referee Souleymane did not call for any infringement. But Abdullahi finally got the equaliser for the Eaglets in the 68th minute when he scrambled the ball into the net off a corner kick.

    The match could not produce a winner even after 30 minutes of extra-time and the Beninois triumphed in the ensuing penalty shootout; the Golden Eaglets would now face the loser of the second semi-final match between Mali and hosts, Togo on Sunday.

    In attendance at the match were Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Togo, Ambassador Mathew Sunday Adoli and his counterpart in Benin, Lawrence Olufemi Obisakin and his wife; Alhaji Yussuf Fresh, a board member of the NFF and Leader of Delegation to Togo; Patrick Pascal (special assistant to NFF’s President, Aminu Maigari) amongst others.

  • Eaglets complete mauling of Mali

    Eaglets complete mauling of Mali

    The Golden Eaglets on Wednesday yet again confirmed their supremacy over their Malian counterparts with another 2-0 win at the WAFU B Tournament in Togo.

    Two goals in the second half by Orji Okonkwo and Kehinde Ayinde cemented the Golden Eaglets top-place finish in Group B with the maximum six points following an identical 2-0 win against their West African foes earlier on Monday.

    Coach Emmanuel Amuneke kept faith with the same starting line-up he used on Monday and the only notable change for Mali was goalkeeper Samuel Diarra who replaced Traore Alou.

    But it was the Malians that started on the offensive after Togolese referee Kossi Azaleko signalled Nigeria to take the mandatory kick-off. As early as the third minute of the match, the Malians nearly went in front but were denied by brilliant Amos Benjamin in goal for the Golden Eaglets.

    The Nigerian youngsters responded well and both Kehinde Ayinde and Kingsley Michael buried the ball behind goalkeeper Suleiman in the 15th and 26thth minute respectively but referee Azaleko ruled both goals off-side. He also cancelled out a goal by the Malians in the 18th due to off side.

    Azaleko was jeered by the fans towards the end of the first half for disallowing what looked like a legitimate goal for the Golden Eaglets orchestrated from a sweet passing movement by the quartet of Orji Okonkwo; Ayinde; Dauda Ganiyu and Jack Ipalibo.

    But the stadium finally came alive in the second half with the Eaglets on the offensive and they were soon rewarded when Ayinde sent a perfect cross for Okonkwo to nod home the first goal in the 48th minute. The goal brought confidence into the Eaglets and they held on to the lead despite occasional threats by the Malians. From the 70th minutes, the Nigerians virtually dominated the game but the second goal of the match did not come until the 84th minute. Man of the match, Eaglets’ skipper, Kelechi Nwakali sent a long range pass to Abdulganiyu who side-stepped two opposing defenders before releasing the ball for Ayinde to put behind goalkeeper Diarra for the second goal of the match. The Golden Eaglets would now face the runners up of Group A in one of the semi-finals on Thursday.

    Golden Eaglets vs. Mali

    A. Benjamin (F. Idowu 91st) – A. Joshua. Gbadamosi; N. Hamza; A.

    Bamidele;- J. Ipalibo(S. Abdullahi 62nd );K.Michael; Nwakali; D.

    Abdulganiyu- O. Okonkwo; K. Ayinde

  • NFF outlines duties for Falcons’, Eaglets’ crews

    NFF outlines duties for Falcons’, Eaglets’ crews

    The Nigeria Football Federation on Monday clearly spelt out for the respective crews of the Senior Women National Team (Super Falcons) and U-17 National Team (Golden Eaglets) their duties and responsibilities as both teams seek to build new, solid squads.

    At a parley at the Conference Room of the NFF Secretariat, Abuja, NFF’s Director of Competitions, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi warned of the dangers of persons taking over the duties of others in crews of the National Teams.

    “I have been mandated by the NFF President and the Chairman of Technical Committee to fully brief you all on the importance of sticking to your respective duties and carrying out your responsibilities well.

    “You must know the responsibilities that go with each role and the need to also tolerate and respect other persons and their roles, because you all come from different backgrounds to carry out a national assignment. We want the crews of all National Teams to be abreast of their duties and to do those duties to the best of their abilities.

    “For example, the Head Coach is the leader of the team at all times, while the Team Administrator is the head of administration, who handles all administrative and logistics matters,” Dr. Sanusi said.

    The Super Falcons are preparing for their 2014 African Women Championship final round qualifying fixture against the She-Amavubi of Rwanda, with the first leg coming up next month, while reigning world champions Eaglets have a 2015 African U-17 Championship qualifying fixture against either DR Congo or Burundi in July.

    While the Eaglets are billed to participate in the WAFU B Tournament taking place in Togo later this month, the NFF has secured an international friendly for the Falcons against the Indomitable

    Lionesses of Cameroon, to be played in Abuja on April 15.

    Present at the meeting were Ademola Olajire (Assistant Director, Communications), Pascal Patrick, MON (Special Assistant to NFF President), Ruth David (Team Administrator, Falcons and Head of

    Federation Cup), Edwin Okon (Head Coach of Super Falcons), Emmanuel Amuneke (Head Coach, Eaglets), Christopher Danjuma (Assistant Coach, Super Falcons), Justin Madugu (Assistant Coach, Super Falcons), Emeka Amadi (Goalkeeper Trainer, Eaglets), Bala Mohammed (Goalkeeper Trainer, Super Falcons), Tayo Egbayelo (Team Administrator, Eaglets), Omoye Akhigbe (Doctor, Super Falcons), Ayodeji Olarinoye (Doctor, Eaglets), Ada Nwachukwu (Physiotherapist, Super Falcons), Abubakar Aliyu (Physiotherapist, Eaglets), (Henrietta Ukaigwe (Team Coordinator, Super Falcons), Prince Udofia (Team Coordinator, Eaglets), Morakinyo Abodunrin (Media Officer, Eaglets), Gracious Akujobi (Media Officer, Super Falcons) and Godiya Jezhi (Equipment Manager, Super Falcons).

  • Eaglets star joins Tottenham

    Eaglets star joins Tottenham

    • Undergoes medical

    Tottenham have seen off competition from Barcelona to land Nigerian wonderkid Musa Yahaya – dubbed the new Andres Iniesta.

    The 16-year-old was part of the Golden Eaglets team which recently won the Under-17 World Cup, and clubs from all over Europe have been interested in signing him.

    Spanish giants Barca were in talks with Yahaya’s agent last week, but Spurs have since moved in and agreed a deal to bring him to White Hart Lane.

    According to reports, the midfielder will have a medical in north London before the weekend ahead of signing a five-year contract.

    Yahaya currently plays for African side Mutunchy Academy and it is thought that he will stay with them until his 17th birthday – when he becomes eligible to obtain a UK work permit.

    A fast, skilful and powerful play-maker who can also play on the wing, Yahaya recently told reporters that he has been nicknamed ‘new Iniesta’ for years because of his accurate passing and ability to unlock defences.

  • Eaglets wait on Kano to redeem promises

    Eaglets wait on Kano to redeem promises

    World Cup-winning Golden Eaglets are still waiting on the Kano State government to redeem the cash and house promises made to them two months ago.

    In December, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso promised the Eaglets various cash gifts as well as house gifts for Kano-born Musa Muhammed and Zaharadeen Bello.

    “We are yet to get the cash and the other gifts from the Kano State government many weeks after they hosted us in Kano,” a top team official informed MTNFootball.com.

    The Federal Government and several state governments like Niger and Cross River feted the Golden Eaglets after they won a record fourth U-17 World Cup in November.

  • Eaglets striker Awoniyi in Swedish transfer talks

    Eaglets striker Awoniyi in Swedish transfer talks

    Eaglets striker Taiwo Awoniyi is discussing a transfer to Kalmar FF after he arrived the Swedish club along with his representatives.

    The 16-year-old striker, who scored four goals as Nigeria won a record fourth U-17 World Cup in November, is to discuss the possibility of teaming up with the Swedish club.

    Should talks progress as hoped, Awoniyi will undergo a medical and be given a pro contract when he is 18 next year.

    According to barometern.se, Awoniyi is already impressed with the facilities and warmth of the people he has met at Kalmar. The promising striker has other offers from Mexico, Sampdoria, Brecia, among others.

    Former international Seyi Olofinjana, who is in Sweden with the Eaglets star, said his plan is for Awoniyi to go to a place where he can really develop to be a better player. Olofinjana is the director of Awoniyi’s academy Imperial academy.

    “The key is for him to go to a place, where he can take the next step,” said Olofinjana, who incidentally started his professional career in next-door Norway.