The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Flying Eagles

  • NFF wants Flying Eagles to win AYC

    NFF wants Flying Eagles to win AYC

    The Nigeria Football Federation has tasked the Flying Eagles to win the 2015 African Youth Championship in Senegal.

    NFF deputy secretary general, Emmanuel Ikpeme, told the players at the team’s Serob Legacy Hotel in Wuye, Abuja, Wednesday that the entire country is looking up to them to win the continent’s tournament in Senegal.

    “On behalf of the president of the NFF, I wish to congratulate the players who made the final squad to the AYC in Senegal,” africanFootball.com quoted Ikpeme as saying to the players.

    “The President is particularly delighted that the bulk of the squad to Senegal came from the team that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup two years ago.

    “The target to the team therefore is for the team to win the AYC and confirm that winning the U-17 World Cup was not a fluke.”

    He added: “Your first match will be against the hosts country Senegal and do not expect it to be an easy match but we believe you are up to the task going by what you showed in your recent test matches in Ghana.

    “We should not take any match or opponent for granted and so you should resolve as a team to make Nigeria happy and proud in Senegal.”

    Flying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, assured the NFF that the team will go for glory in Senegal.

    “We as a team always want to win every game we play and that is the attitude we will take to the AYC.

    “We will not underrate any team in Senegal, but we are confident we will do the nation proud,” the coach stated.

  • No Gambia camp for Flying Eagles

    No Gambia camp for Flying Eagles

    The proposed camping of  the Flying Eagles in The Gambia has been shelved, and the team will now travel directly from Nigeria to Senegal for the Africa Youth Championship (AYC), SL10.ng has learnt.

    The Nigerian U-20s were initially expected to camp in The Gambia for a few days and travel to Senegal from there, but SL10.ng now understands that that will no longer be the case and the team will now depart Nigeria for Dakar this week.

    Coach Manu Garba had last Thursday announced his final list of 21 players for the tournament, which expectedly excluded the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho, Musa Yahaya and Wilfried Ndidi due to injuries and club commitments.

    The team is presently camped in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and is expected to travel to Dakar via Lagos.

    They have been involved in a series of friendly games, including the Super 6 tournament in Abuja, and two international friendly matches against the Black Satellites of Ghana, and they have also played some local teams.

    Nigeria remains the most successful country in the history of the Africa Youth Championship, having won the competition a record six times, the last triumph coming four years ago in South Africa when John Obuh led the team to beat Cameroon 3-2 in the final. This year’s edition will see Nigeria in group A, along with hosts Senegal, Congo and Cote d’ Ivoire.

  • AYC: Man City seeks Iheanacho’s inclusion in Nigeria squad

    AYC: Man City seeks Iheanacho’s inclusion in Nigeria squad

    English Premier League side, Manchester City, has launched a last-minute move to get Kelechi Iheanacho into Nigeria final squad for next month’s African Youth Championship in Senegal, africanFootball.com reports.

    After first saying the player will be unavailable for the AYC in Senegal due to injury, the EPL giants had now made a dramatic u-turn, saying the former Golden Eaglets’ star could be released to join the Flying Eagles for the tournament as he has fully recovered ahead of a mid-March time frame earlier set by the club.

    The 18-year-old player has called up coach Manu Garba to inform him he has recovered from a long-term ankle injury, while expressing his willingness to feature at the AYC.

    The Most Valuable Player at the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup, who followed the team’s recent warm-up matches in Ghana via telephone, told Manu he will even play a match for City reserves on Tuesday.

     

  • Flying Eagles escape accident in Tema

     

    The V.I.P Macopolo Bus conveying the Flying Eagles from the Tema Stadium, Ghana back to their Mplaza Hotel shortly after the Nigerian team beat Ghana’s Black Satellites 2-0 in the second international friendly match had an accident when it crashed into the main gate of the stadium while coming out to link the main road linking Accra.

    The happy Flying Eagles players were busy discussing the outcome of the game when they heard a huge noise while the window of the passenger/right side of the bus shattered.

    Part of the broken glass splashed onto the seats where Nusa Yahaya, Izu Omego, Musa Muhammed were. The most afftected player was Usman Hassan Saleh who was attended to by the team doctor and some concerned passersby who tried to get the broken glass that got into his eyes out with water.

    The player and the rest of the team later left for their hotel 15 minutes later while the Ghanaian fans sympathized with the affected player and blamed the security manning the gate for the accident when he was not  at his duty post.

     

  • Flying Eagles still work in progress – Garba

     

    Despite the Flying  Eagles’ five star  second half performance against the host, the Black Satellites of Ghana in yesterday’s second international friendly match held at the yet to be completed Tema Sports Stadium, the Nigerian team’s Chief Coach Manu Garba has described his team as work in progress.

    The Flying Eagles had shone like the morning star in the second half pointing towards being ready for the Africa Youth Championship as the Ghanaian fans thronged around the players and officials showering encomiums on them and calling the Nigerian team  Arsenal team of Africa for playing free flow football against their team.

    But this did not convince Garba who believes there is still much work to be dione to get it ready for the AYC.

    Captain of the Nigerian team Musa Muhammed set the ball rolling by converting a spot kick for Nigeria’s first goal in the 70th minute after a Ghanaian defender had handled the ball in the penalty box while Ifeanyi Mathew scored the Flying Eagles second goal that could be described as a canon and television goal in the added time after collecting a see me through pass from pass master Wasiu Jimoh.

    What made the second friendly encounter more interesting was that Ghana Coach Silas Tetteh fielded only three players that played the first match and also substituted five players in the second half all to stop the superior fireworks of the Nigerian team but to no avail.

    Garba, in his reaction after the match told SportingLife: “In the first game some of our boys were casual. So we did talk to them that this is not just an ordinary friendly match and that whenever they score a goal they should try as much as possible to protect the goal and they must try as much as possible to score some goals. But the most important thing is that the boys played well especially in the second half. That was why you saw good, compact, good movement and attacking football in the second half. I believe that they played better than the first match that we played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday.

    “But that notwithstanding there are still a lot of mistakes that we need to correct not minding the fact that this is not the real team we are presenting at the Africa Youth Championship. There are still other quality players fighting for shirts in this team. We left seven players at home and we have two more players coming to join us. So by the time we select the best 21 for the AYC , I think the team will be much more stronger than the one you see here today”, Garba said.

  • Pyagbara, Alegbe leave Dolphins

    Pyagbara, Alegbe leave Dolphins

    Two players, hristian   Pyagbara and Victor Alegbe left the camp of the team yesterday and did not return with them to Port Harcourt after the Super 4 ended in Abuja.

    Victor Alegbe played for Dolphins last season from Wikki Tourists and Christian Pyagbara who was at Sharks last year is on the verge of joining the CAF Confederation Cup campaigners.

    After an above average showing at the Super 4, both players caught the eyes of the Flying Eagles (U-20 team) coaches who requested that they stay back to join their team.

    Pyagbara scored one goal for Dolphins at the Super 4, in the 4-1 loss to the Flying Eagles while Victor Alegbe did not get a goal.

    Meanwhile, Dolphins returned to Port-Harcourt on Monday but did not go to their Elekahia Estate camp.

    They stopped at the Greater Port-Harcourt City where they camped before the Super 4 to continue their preparations for next weeks’ game in the CAF Confederation Cup against Leonas Vegetarianos of Equatorial Guinea.

  • Dream Team VI holds Flying Eagles in 3-3 thriller

    Dream Team VI holds Flying Eagles in 3-3 thriller

    • Awoniyi wins MVP, N200,000

    • Siasia, Garba praise teams

    The Samson Siasia-led Dream Team VI fought hard to hold fans’ favourites and Super Six Champion Flying Eagles 3-3 in all explosive and thrilling last match decided at the main bowl of the Abuja National Stadium yesterday.

    Siasia who paraded most of the players that took part in the Tunisia friendly came out smoking in the first half but the Manu Garba led Flying Eagles woke up in the second half and proved why they are Abuja fans’ favourites.

    Little wonder Taiwo Awoniyi of Flying Eagles who was invited to the CHAN Eagles by Stephen Keshi before being dropped, won the Most Valuable Player Award and also smiled home with a cash award of N200,000.

    Prince Aggrey of the Flying Eagles drew the first blood in the 28trh minute, while Dream Team VI replied with a goal through Peter Onyekachi in the 32nd minute.

    Dream team went ahead scoring their second goal via a spot kick in the 45th minute through Oghenekaro Etebo and scored the third goal while Flying Eagles’ Benard Bulwa and Chidera Eze scored in the 54th and 74th minute to end it 3-3 goals apiece.

    Assistant Coach of the Flying Eagles Nduka Ugbade said that playing against a new team brought in by Samson Siasia jolted the Flying Eagles.

    “We could have won the match against the Dream Team VI today but anxiety on the part of my players got the best out of them. They were anxious playing a new team paraded by Samson Siasia, but we are happy we emerged the winner of this competition”, Ugbade confessed.

    Siasia praised his boys for emerging runner up despite moulding a new team less than a month. My boys have done well if you looked at where we are coming from. This team was  put together under two months now. So I am happy with what I have seen of them so far”, Siasia disclosed.

    The Flying Eagles emerged winner of the Super Six having won 13 points winning three and drew one while the Dream Team came second winning two and drew three.

  • Super six: Obuh hails Flying Eagles

    Super six: Obuh hails Flying Eagles

    Former Flying Eagles coach, John Obuh, has hailed the Flying Eagles after the team emerged champions of the 2015 super six tournament.

    The Flying Eagles defeated Nigerian champions, Kano Pillars, former African champions, Enyimba, and CAF Confederations Cup contenders, Dolphins and Warri Wolves in the opening four games to secure an unassailable 12 points.

    Friday’s 4-1 victory over Federations Cup runners-up, Dolphins, and the Dream Team’s 1-1 draw against Enyimba meant the Flying Eagles lifted the tournament trophy with a game to spare.

    And Obuh, who was coach of the team in 2011 and 2013, believes the team has done well and deserves a huge commendation.

    “We have to congratulate the boys because they have done well and they deserve our commendation. The Flying Eagles outplayed all the teams in this tournament and defeated all of them in the process.

    “I’m very happy for the team and excited as well because I think we have a very good team that is looking likely to win the U-20 World Cup for the first time for Nigeria.

    “The coaches have done well in assembling these boys because the way they play shows purpose and direction and hopefully they will do well at the Africa Youth Championship in Senegal,” Obuh told sl10.ng.

  • Flying Eagles target AYC, World Cup titles

    Flying Eagles target AYC, World Cup titles

    Flying Eagles stand-in captain Taiwo Awoniyi has said that the target of the team is to win the Africa Youth Championship (AYC) and also the FIFA U-20 World Cup later in the year.

    According to Awoniyi, the team has all it takes to achieve that feat, all they need to do is to remain focused and be able to convert most of the chances they create.

    “Our target is to win  the AYC and the U-20 World Cup this year. For us to do that, we must  win all the matches that come our way. As a striker, my concern now is to perfect all my goal scoring antics, so that I would always put my team ahead. However, that does not mean that whenever I lose such chances, I should be dejected and continue to think over it”.

    Awoniyi, who had a fantastic game against Enyimba on Saturday, said though they defeated the Aba Elephants, they learnt a lot from them.

    “Enyimba were a good side, and were much experienced, and we learnt a lot from them,” he said.

  • Garba: Flying Eagles not ready for AYC

    Garba: Flying Eagles not ready for AYC

    Flying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, has stated that his team is not ready for the Africa Youth Championship (AYC), despite wining their first match at the Super 4 tournament.

    The Flying Eagles, who have been preparing for the AYC in Kaduna, beat Enyimba who will be featuring in the CAF Champions League, by 2-0.

    “We aren’t ready yet,” Garba told SL10.ng

    “We’ve noticed a couple of mistakes that we shall correct. If you noticed, we created a lot of scoring chances that we failed to convert and that means it’s important that we correct that.

    “Don’t forget that we shall be going to Gambia to finalise our preparation for the AYC, after which I think we can say the team is fully ready for Africa,” Garba stated.

    The Flying Eagles will have their hands full on Monday when they take Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Kano Pillars, however, Garba believes his side will take each game as it comes.

    “For us, we always want to win every game we go into. Playing and wining the Super 6 will boost the morale of the team going into a major tournament like the AYC. But I must say that we take every game as it comes,” Garba stated.