The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Flying Eagles

  • Umeh tasks Flying Eagles, Falconets

    Umeh tasks Flying Eagles, Falconets

    Acting President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mike Umeh has called on players and officials of the U-20 national team, Flying Eagles, and the U-20 women national team, Falconets, to guard against complacency in their important international matches this weekend.

    The U-20 boys host their counterparts from Lesotho in a 2015 African Youth Championship qualifying series final round, first leg encounter at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium on Saturday, while the girls lock horns with New Zealand in the quarter finals of the 7th FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup  in Canada.

    “It is important that our U-20 boys and girls approach their different matches with utmost seriousness. I mean that they should banish the temptation to under –rate their opponents,” Umeh, himself a one –time team manager of the senior national team, said in Abuja on Thursday.

    Lesotho has a far smaller name in African football than Nigeria and there will definitely be the temptation to under rate the visitors.

    “But football is no longer that way and any so-called big team that takes the opposition for granted could leave itself open for a sucker punch.”

    The delegation of the Junior Crocodiles is scheduled to arrive in Abuja on Friday(Today), before heading to Kaduna. It would be recalled that Lesotho defeated better –fancied Angola home and away in the previous round of the qualifying series.

    However,the Flying Eagles, loaded with record fourth FIFA U-17 World Cup winners in United Arab Emirates last year, also dismissed Tanzania home and away in the previous round.

    Umeh also told the U-20 girls, Falconets, not to look down on their quarter final opponents, New Zealand.

    “It is true that our girls have been improving steadily with each match and I am happy about that. But they should not under –estimate the New Zealand girls, who defeated Paraguay and won handsomely against Costa Rica to reach this stage.”

    Nigeria’s Falconets drew 1-1 with Mexico in their first match but won 2-1 against Korea Republic and England, arguably playing better each time. Sunday’s clash at the Moncton Stadium in Moncton is only the second –ever meeting between Nigeria and New Zealand at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.  On November 19, 2008 in Coquimbo, Chile, goals by Sarah Michael, Ogonna Chukwudi and Rita Chikwelu steered the Falconets to a 3-2 win over the New Zealanders in a group phase match.

    Victory in Saturday’s match will stand the Flying Eagles in good stead for a spot at the 2015 African Youth Championship, while victory over New Zealand on Sunday will earn the Falconets their third successive semi final berth at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals.

  • Flying Eagles name 25-man squad

    Flying Eagles name 25-man squad

    Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles, have named a 25-man squad for a final 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier against Lesotho later this month.

    Skipper Musa Muhammed (Besiktas/Turkey) and Taiwo Awoniyi (Kalmar FF/Sweden) are the only overseas-based players as the Flying Eagles will be without several of their foreign-based stars as a result of club commitments, according to coach Manu Garba.

    The Flying Eagles take on Lesotho on August 16 in Kaduna for a place in the final of the 2015 AYC in Senegal in March.

     

    The full squad:

    Goalkeepers

    Joshua Enaholo, Adamu Abubakar, Olorunleke Ojo, Etua Ossai Kingdom

    Defenders

    Musa Muhammed, Ifeanyi Nweke, Mustapha Abdullahi, Zaharadden Bello, Prince Izu Omego, Adebayor Ademuluwa, Wilfred Ndidi, Sirajo Mazadu

    Midfielders

    Bernard Bulbwa, Ifeanyi Matthew, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Chizom Eze, Akinjide Idowu, Clement Ogbobe, Abdullahi Alfa, Obinna Nwobodo

    Strikers

    Taiwo Awoniyi, Sulaiman Abdullahi, Alhassan Ibrahim, Abubakar Lawal, Wasiu Jimoh

  • AYC: Iheanacho, others to miss Lesotho clash

    AYC: Iheanacho, others to miss Lesotho clash

    Manchester City starlet, Kelechi Iheanacho and Spain-based striker Isaac Success will miss Nigeria’s 2015 African Youth Championship qualifier against Lesotho.

    Flying Eagles coach, Manu Garba disclosed that Chidera Eze from FC Porto, Musa Yahaya of Tottenham Hotspurs as well as Dele Alampasu, who is training with Genk in Belgium, will equally not be available for the August 16 match in Kaduna.

    “Kelechi (Iheanacho) was to have been released by Manchester City at least a week before the match, but the club’s recruitment officer has called back to tell us about their plans for him and so he will no longer be available,” Manu told africanFootball.com

    “Isaac Success will also not be released by Granada as he has begun playing for the first team.

    “Tottenham Hotspur will only release Musa Yahaya for the return leg match.

    “But we can cope because we have abundant talent in the team.

    “For example, take the case of Wasiu Taiwo, who just scored four goals in a test game (against Amakson on Thursday). He has been on the fringes of the first team and took his chance with four well-taken goals.

    “And so we have the players to get the result we need in the game against Lesotho.”

  • Senegalese officials for Flying Eagles, Junior Crocodiles

    Senegalese officials for Flying Eagles, Junior Crocodiles

    The Confederation of  African Football, (CAF) has appointed Senegalese Daouda Kebe as referee for next weekend’s 2015 African Youth Championship qualifying match between the Flying Eagles of Nigeria and Junior Crocodiles of Lesotho.

    Kebe, 28, who became an international referee only last year, will be assisted by compatriots Nouha Bangoura (1st Assistant), El Hadji Abdoul Aziz Gueye (2nd Assistant) and Daouda Gueye (4th Official), at the match that the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) has already confirmed for the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Saturday, August 16.

    CAF has also appointed well –known Beninoise football administrator, Bruno Arthur Didavi as the Match Commissioner.

    Next weekend’s game is the opening leg of a final round qualifying fixture, with the return leg set for the National Stadium, Maseru on the last day of August.

    The last round of qualifying will see 14 teams up in arms for seven spots, to join hosts Senegal at the finals to be played between 8th  March 8 – 22, 2015.

    Apart from Nigeria taking on Lesotho, Malawi will take on Zambia, Cameroon are up against South Africa, Ghana will clash with Gabon, Congo ambush Cup holders Egypt, Libya tackle Cote d’Ivoire and Mali will square up with Togo.

    Nigeria has won the African Youth Championship six times, in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005 and 2011, and finished runner –up at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1989 and 2005.

  • Flying Eagles release Obinna Nwobodo

    Flying Eagles release Obinna Nwobodo

    Nigeria Under-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, have released Obinna Nwobodo to feature for Enugu Rangers in a Federation Cup round of 32 clash against Insurance of Benin in Abuja on Thursday.

    Rangers coach John Obuh requested for the mercurial midfielder, who has impressed with the Nigeria U-20s.

    Nwobodo, an attacking midfielder who is comfortable on the ball, is one of several players from the domestic league taken in by the Flying Eagles recently.

    Others are Seun Olulayo and Tunde Adeniji from Sunshine Stars and Segun Alebiosu from Kwara United.

    The Nigeria U-20 team, who are preparing for next month’s African Youth Championship final qualifier against Lesotho, will also release midfielder Ifeanyi Matthew for another cup tie involving El Kanemi.

  • AYC: F/Eagles coach wants improvement

    AYC: F/Eagles coach wants improvement

    Flying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, has charged his wards to improve on their concentration after he noted some lapses in their 4-1 win over Tanzania at the weekend.

    Nigeria won 6-1 on aggregate over the East Africans, but Garba believes there is still room for improvement.

    “We made a lot of mistakes against Tanzania and some of the players did not live up to the expectations and these are some of our key players,” Garba said.

    “We had a better first half than second half. We tried to save some of our top players after the first half and to give some other players a chance to show what they can do.

    “And that was how Chidera Eze came in the score, while Kelechi (Iheanacho) would have scored at least two goals had he been more clinical in front of goal,” kickOffNigeria.com quoted Garba as saying on the match.

    The coach also berated his players for their carelessness which led to the goal they conceded.

    “The Tanzanians were not bad but they have to work on their finishing. And the goal we conceded was a cheeky one.

    “First, there was the mistake by the defenders which led to the foul and the goalkeeper ought to have arranged his wall better because that free-kick should not have beaten him,” he said.

  • AYC: Flying Eagles beat Tanzania’s Heroes 6-1

    Nigeria has qualified for the final round of the qualifiers for next year’s AYC in Senegal. The Flying Eagles on Saturday beat visiting Ngorongoro Heroes of Tanzania 4-1 in Kaduna to advance 6-1 on aggregate to qualify.

  • Iheanacho out of starting XI for Tanzania tie

    Iheanacho out of starting XI for Tanzania tie

    The best player at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Kelechi Iheanacho, will start from the bench in Nigeria’s Africa Youth Championship tie against Tanzania on Sunday.

    Flying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, picked the same side that lost 0-1 to Benin Republic in the team’s last warm up game in Cotonou on May 7, supersport.com reports.

    This means there is no place in the starting lineup for the Manchester City duo of Iheanacho and Chidiebere Nwakali who will start from the bench just as they did in Cotonou.

    Manu had toyed with the idea of starting both players, but opted for a more cautious approach as his team is playing away from home.

    His 4-4-2 formation will see Wilfred Ndidi partner Izu Omego in the heart of the back four, while Akinjide Idowu will be the ball winner for a talented midfield that boasts of  Musa Yahaya and playmaker Ifeanyi Matthew.

    Alhassan Ibrahim “Mu-azam” and Taiwo Awoniyi will lead the Flying Eagles charge for goals.

    Meanwhile, the coach of the Tanzania’s U-20 team, John Simkoko, said his team hopes to defeat Nigeria on Sunday.

  • Flying Eagles battle ready for Tanzania

    Flying Eagles battle ready for Tanzania

    Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will take on hosts Ngorongoro Heroes of Tanzania in a 2015 AYC qualifier on Sunday, while praying it does not rain on the day.

    It has been raining for the past one week in Dares Salaam, but weather forecasts suggest it would be sunny on match day at the 60,000-capacity National Stadium.

    The Flying Eagles have had a first feel of the National Stadium pitch, which has an even grass and is soft and muddy because of the rains.

    “You have to add some power to the pass if not it could hold it back from its intended target,” said assistant coach Nduka Ugbade.

    “The pitch is okay but should it rain, we would need to play with hard-stud boots,” said Kelechi Iheanacho, who led several other players like Izu Omego and Joshua Enaholo to shop for new boots Friday morning.

    Tanzania U-20 assistant coach, Mohamed Ayoub, was also at the Flying Eagles first training, but must have been hugely disappointed as the Nigeria U20s did not play a two-a-side game for him to pick up some key points about the visiting team.

    The Flying Eagles, on the other hand, are armed with a comprehensive dossier on their opponents after NFF technical officer Rafiu Yusuf, who watched Tanzania hold hosts Kenya to a goalless draw last month.

    The report said the Ngorongoro Heroes have a good and compact defence, but they are not great shooters in front of goal as they prefer to work the ball into the net.

    It was also noted that they parade a creative midfield with some gifted players.

    Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba has made it very clear he wishes to win well in Tanzania so that the return leg in Nigeria a fortnight later would just be to fulfill all righteousness.

    He therefore wants to add more force to the attacking partnership of Alhassan Ibrahim ‘Mu-azam’ and Taiwo Awoniyi he started in a 1-0 loss in Benin last week.

    Manchester City youngsters Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidiebere pepped up the strike force in Cotonou when they were introduced in the second half and they are likely to now start in midfield on Sunday.

    Kick-off is 4pm local time, which is 2pm Nigerian time.

    Match officials are from DR Congo led by Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo. The other referees are Oliver safari Kabene, Nabina Blaise Sebutu and Mupemba Ignace Nkongolo.

  • NFF warns Flying Eagles ahead of Benin tie

    NFF warns Flying Eagles ahead of Benin tie

    A Special Adviser to the Nigeria Football Federation President, Patrick Pascal, has warned the Flying Eagles to expect a physical challenge from the Benin Republic’s U- 17 team during Sunday’s international friendly in Cotonou.
    Pascal acquired the knowledge about the Beninoise when he accompanied the Golden Eaglets to the WAFU B U-17 championship in Togo last month, futaa.com reports.
    “The Beninioise will not take this game as a friendly and will most likely line up big and strong players like was the case against us in Togo, “the ex-international said.
    The hosts had earlier planned to camp the Flying Eagles in Porto Novo, where they are also training, and both teams would then make the hour-long bus ride to Cotonou on match day.