The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Flying Eagles

  • BREAKING: Flying Eagles lose golden match, win Silver in Rabat

    Contrary to permutations and expectations young Stallions of Burkina Faso Friday shocked the Flying Eagles 2-0 to clinch Gold in the finals of the Africa Games football event in Morocco.

    Flying Eagles who had dispatched Mali 5-4 on penalties to hit the finals were tipped not necessarily to have a walk in the park against the Stallions in the final but to win the match even by a slight margin.

    Coach of the side Paul Aigbogun had before the match challenged his boys not to give room for mistakes that could ruin the day.

    Flying Eagles beat Mali 5-4 and lost to Burkina Faso 2-0

    The result is thus an indication that all did not go according to plans or that  they underrated their opponents who ran away with two goals scored in the first half of the encounter played at the Stade Moulay Hassan.

    It was apparent that the junior Stallions were given two major instructions, go, get the goals and defend it to the finish!

    With the two goals in the kitty of the stallions, efforts by Flying Eagles to turn the table proved abortive as the stallions held tenaciously and guarded their victory to the end .

    Nigeria thus settled for Silver while the Stallions pocket the Gold.

    Senegal had on Thursday beaten Mali 4-3 on penalty after the Bronze match ended goalless

  • Games Final: Leave no room for mistakes Aigbogun warns F/Eagles

    Ahead of Friday’s battle for Gold against Burkina Faso at the ongoing  Africa Games in Rabat, Flying Eagles head Coach Paul Aigbogun has told his boys to resist the temptation to leave any room for mistakes that can be capitalised upon.

    He praised the boys for rising to the occasion so far by making it all the way to the finals, but added that everything must be done to end on a golden note.

    “You have done well so far but the battle is not finished.  We must all work very hard in this last game to carry the day,” he submitted.

    Aigbogun who led the team to unimpressive run at the recently held FIFA U-20 World cup in Poland insisted that emerging victorious in Rabat will be a bit of a consolation.

    F/ Eagles technical crew , full of expectations

    Friday opponents Burkina Faso created an upset by defeating defending champions Senegal in the second match on Tuesday, holding the young Teranga Lions 1-1 before emerging victorious on 5-4 penalty same margin with which Nigeria defeated Mali.

    Senegal and Mali will slug it out today (Thursday) in the third place or Bronze medal match.

    It is the second meeting between the two sides who had earlier clashed in the group stage in a goalless draw. Some analysts have predicted that today’s bronze match will be full of fireworks as both teams fight to avoid missing the medals podium.

    Interestingly Nigeria and Burkina Faso will settle for Gold and Silver respectively on Friday, had equally met in the group stage with the encounter ending 1-1.

    The duo of Ahmad Ghali and Kalifa Nikiema who scored for their sides in the encounter will be hoping to replicate their performance on Friday.

    The Nigeria versus Burkina Faso match will come up at 5pm.

  • Flying Eagles to battle for gold

    NIGERIA’S U20 boys, Flying Eagles, will battle for the gold medal of the 12th African Games in Rabat, Morocco after eliminating Mali via penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

    Both teams failed to find the target in regulation and extra time, with Nigerian captain Abubakar Ibrahim inexplicably failing to convert a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. Penalty shoot-out again came to the rescue as happened when both battled to a 1-1 draw in the semi-finals of the Africa U20 Cup of Nations in the Niger Republic back in February.

    In Niamey, Mali triumphed 4-3 after the shoot-out. But the session in Rabat on Tuesday proved comical, with the Flying Eagles showing inefficiency from the spot by throwing away their first three kicks even as goalkeeper Detan Ogundare kept saving the Malian kicks. Mike Zaruma, Rabiu Mohammed and Emeka Chinonso wasted their kicks.

    Skipper Abubakar Ibrahim and Success Makanjuola scored the fourth and fifth kicks, just as the Malians did, to take the shoot-out into sudden death.

    Read Also: Flying Eagles kick off 2019 African Games

    In sudden death, Samuel Nnochiri and Adesina Gata scored just as their Malian opposite numbers. But after Adewale Oladoye scored, Mali’s next kick was saved by the inspired Ogundare to take Nigeria to Friday’s final.

    The Flying Eagles will be up against the winner of the second semi-final between Senegal and Burkina Faso. It is the first time that Nigeria will reach the final of the men’s football tournament of the African Games since losing the gold medal match to Cameroun inside the National Stadium Complex, Abuja in 2003.

    Nigeria won the gold medal of the football event (no women edition then) of the 2nd African Games hosted in Lagos in 1973 and then lost in the final to host nation Algeria in 1978.

     

  • Africa Games: Flying Eagles qualify for final beat Mali 5-4

     

    It was a sweet revenge for Flying Eagles on Tuesday at the ongoing 12th Africa Games in Morocco as the Paul Aigbogun tutored side took a pound of flesh from their Malian counterparts to hit the finals of the football event.

    The two teams had played out a barren draw in Rabat at the end of regulation time and extra time forcing the encounter into penalties.

    The Nigerian lads apparently not ready to allow thunder strike twice in one place held their nerves to convert all their five kicks while the Malians failed to convert the last kick thus handing the Nigerian lads a 5-4 victory.

    The encounter which was watched by lots of soccer enthusiasts who agreed that the boys on the pitch gave a good account of themselves, looked like a replica of what transpired at the Africa Under 20 Nations cup played earlier this year in Niger, where Mali edged out Nigeria 4-3 on penalty to qualify for the finals

    Flying Eagles set for Africa Games finals on Friday in Rabat

    There were permutations that the battle of Rabat would have ended without heading for penalty if Flying Eagles captain Abubakar Ibrahim had buried a penalty awarded to the team after Success Makanjuola was fouled in the 21st minute of the match.

    Nigeria last won football Gold at the 1973 games, which she hosted.

    Nigeria will battle the winner of the second semifinal tie between Senegal and Burkina Faso in Friday Final, while Mali will play in the third place match on Thursday.

  • Protest over unpaid entitlement: NFF begs flying Eagles players

     

    The Nigeria football Federation (NFF) has resulted to begging with a view to quelling massive protest in Flying Eagles camp over unpaid allowances.

    The Flying Eagles who crashed out of  the FIFA Under 20 World cup in Poland on Monday following a 2-0 defeat in the hands of Senegal in the round of 16, flagged off protest, insisting on getting their allowances before leaving Poland.

    The stand of the boys is not unconnected with fears that when they return to the country the money due to them will enter “voicemail” or become a case of ‘come today come tomorrow’

    With the failure of officials in Poland to placate the boys General Secretary of the Federation Mohammed Sanusi placed a call to the team on Tuesday pleading for an end to what has now become a national embarrassment which reportedly has also hit the headlines of some foreign media that Nigerian players are bent on getting their money before going home.

    Sanusi we understand told the boys to end the protest promising that the needful will be done as soon as they return.

    “The boys should come back home and they will be paid. They should first come back home and not disgrace us., “he begged

    He further told the foreign-based players to make available to the team secretary their bank details as well as a letter of consent” he was quoted as saying by Scorenigeria

    The players are said to have revealed that they are owed $5,000 about (N1.5million) each for qualifying for the knock out stage as well as training allowance.

    The team original billed to have left Poland 3am on Tuesday for Nigeria forced FIFA to re-arrange their program which indicates that they may not be home till Thursday or there about if they eventually decide to end the protest.

    Protest has in recent times been used by players to get their entitlement from the Glass House who have equally been accused of constantly dragging the nation’s image to the gutters with shoddy plans over player’s payment.

  • Flying Eagles lacked coordination, says Akanni

    Ex-international Wahidi Akanni on Tuesday said that the performance of the U-20 Flying Eagles at the ongoing World Cup in Poland was not impressive.

    He made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    The U-20 squad crashed out in the round of 16, having lost to Senegal, a fellow African country 1-2.

    Goals from Senegal’s Amadou Sagna and Ibrahima Niane were enough to seal the win for the Young Teranga Lions in spite of Flying Eagle’s Aniekeme Okon’s consolation goal.

    “I wasn’t surprised at all, the team didn’t impress me one bit. Obviously they have been lucky to have even qualified from the group stage.

    “They lack tact, we have seen better U-20 squads in recent times, this is not just a well- coordinated squad,” he said.

    The Moscow (Soviet Union) 1985 U-20 World Cup Bronze medalist told NAN that the selection of the players from the outset was questionable.

    “In my days, players were picked from every nook and cranny of this country but this selection, I don’t understand.

    “We consistently don’t see the need to encourage our home-based players to put in effort, I mean at the end of the day what’s in it for them,” the former Lagos FA Chairman said.

    He also said that the team had too many heads, without clear separation of functions.

    “There are too many lead coaches in the team, so it is just a disaster waiting to happen, we need to do better next time.

    Read Also; Flying Eagles crash out of U20 World Cup

    “Even the technical crew, I didn’t see them address each technical issue in each encounter in the tournament.

    “The same problem they faced is still there in subsequent matches from the get go to the end,” he said.

    Coach Paul Aigbogun’s squad were knocked out of the tournament in Poland by their West African neighbours on Monday night.

    Nigeria’s underwhelming display at the FIFA U20 World Cup came to an end after a 2-1 defeat to Senegal in Monday’s Round of 16 fixture.

    The defeat in Lodz ended the Flying Eagles campaign in Poland.

    Nigerian fans are far from happy with the team’s performance and coach Aigbogun’s tactical decisions.

    (NAN)

  • Dismal outing: F/Eagles technical crew may face probe

     

    Flying Eagles coaching crew may face massive probe if the Nigeria football Federation (NFF) is to listen to calls from disappointed fans and stakeholders following the dismal outing of the team in Poland.

    The Paul Aigbogun led side raised the hopes of many in the country following their 4-0 demolition of Qatar in the opening match but took a nose dive afterwards managing to crawl into the knock out stage before bowing out after a 2-0 defeat by African brothers Senegal on Monday.

    Disappointed Nigerian fans have lampooned the team with some describing them as the worst team ever to be paraded by the country in the U-20 category.

    As if the dismal outing was not embarrassing enough, allegation of bribery is reportedly being made by some players who claimed that they were dropped because they could not raise N5million allegedly being demanded by the technical crew.

    The technical crew will no doubt be looking forward to having an opportunity to clear the air on such allegation and perhaps explain to the nation why the team turned into a toothless bulldog after the first match.

    A member of the 1996 Olympic Gold medallist Emmanuel Babayaro did not hesitate in joining the league of those calling for probe into the Poland outing.

    He noted that the team from outset showed a lack of commitment and desire to win in the championship.  The youth championship he further reasoned is very important as it provides the necessary feed for the under 23 team and the Super eagles respectively and as such should not be operating below par.

    “The technical team are not up to speed technically. It baffled me that we will be going for a World Cup without our best legs, it is a shame.

    “If we play well with the youngsters and we are eliminated in the group stage it’s cool, it is developmental. We need to go for the right lads for our own future.

    “The NFF should do the needful. Do proper investigation into what happened with the Flying Eagles, “he told Goal.com

    Five countries Columbia, Ukraine, Italy, Ecuador and Senegal have already hit the quarterfinals.

    Should Mali fail in their bid to progress Tuesday against Argentina, only Senegal will fly African flag in the quarterfinal fixtures scheduled for Friday and Saturday respectively.

     

     

     

  • F/Eagles settle down in Lodz ahead win or exit clash against Senegal

     

    After managing to qualify for the knock out stage of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World cup in Poland, Flying Eagles have settled down in Lodz ahead of the Monday decider against African brothers Senegal.

    The Paul Aigbogun led side posted a disappointing outing against USA in the second group match and managed to hold group leaders Ukraine to a 1-1 draw on Thursday but moved on as one of the best third placed teams, thanks to an impressive run in the opener when the team won 4-0 against Qatar.

    The Nigeria football Federation Saturday informed that the team vacated their Qubus Hotel Bielsko-Biala for a three hour ride to Lodz, where they have already settled down with a feel of the stadium and first training in Lodz or lined up as activities for the day.

    Nigerians who have reacted to the performance of the team so far in Poland, say the technical crew and the boys should see their qualification to the round of 16 as a near miracle which must be consolidated upon.

    They reminded the team not to expect a tea party against junior Taranga Lions who are ready to fight to the finish.

    The Senegalese have had an impressive run in Poland so far winning two of their group matches and pulling a draw in the last one and ending up as Group A leaders.

    The team will no doubt be hoping to continue their fine ride an indication that they will take the fight right to the door steps of Coach Aigbogun and his boys on Monday.

  • Ukraine vs. Nigeria: Jamil ruled out, Hope rises for Rabiu and Valentine

     

    Kano Pillars star Jamil Muhammad will not be part of the flying Eagles squad as the team attempts to make a comeback against Ukraine on Thursday.

    The Nigeria Football federation (NFF) made the confirmation, adding that it was as a result of injury the midfielder sustained in the match against USA on Monday which unfortunately Nigeria lost by a 2-0.

    As if Jamil’s absence is not enough headaches the team is still keeping close watch on the duo of right back Rabiu Muhammad and central defender Valentine Ozornwafor whose complete fitness remain in doubt.

    It will be recalled that both players also picked up injuries in the tie against USA. There are however indications that the duo will be up and running before Thursday’s match especially after the showed signs of fitness during training on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

    The tie against Ukraine is a must win for the Flying Eagles as a defeat would mean kissing the knock out stage goodbye.

    Flying Eagles had raised a lot of hope among many Nigerians when the hit Qatar 4-0 in the opener but their unimpressive run against USA has dashed the hope of many while some have adopted the wait and see attitude ahead of the final group match against Ukraine at the Stadion Miejski (Bielsko-Biała)

     

     

     

     

     

  • Flying Eagles target another win over the USA

    Nigeria’s U20 boys, the Flying Eagles are aiming for another three points as they confront Team USA in their second match of the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup on Monday night.

    The venue is the 15,000 –capacity Bielsko-Biala Stadium in the city of the same name, a facility constructed on the site of an old facility and which hosted its last international game in March 2018, when Poland tackled England in a U20 match.

    Coach Paul Aigbogun is banking on the flaming form of his boys, who amassed four goals against Qatar in their first match against Qatar in Tychy on Friday, to consume a desperate Team USA still looking for its first point of the finals. The Americans lost 1-2 to Ukraine also on Friday.

    “We had a great game against Qatar and we want to stay in that spirit all through the championship. We will not make the mistake of under-rating any team; our approach remains taking it one game at a time. We go in there and fulfil our game plan of achieving victory.

    “It is not going to be an easy match; the Americans are hurt after losing their first game. But we are in good form and we need the three points to assure our place in the Round of 16,” Aigbogun said on Sunday.

    Both countries first met at this level in the semifinals of the 1989 edition in Saudi Arabia, with a high-spirited Nigeria side just coming from a miraculous triumph over the old Soviet Union in the quarterfinals. The Flying Eagles had come from a 0-4 deficit with 15 minutes left on the clock, to tie the encounter with the Soviets in Dammam and went ahead to win on penalties.

    On 28th February 1989, goals by Mutiu Adepoju sealed a 2-1 win over the USA at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah to send Nigeria into her first-ever Final match of the FIFA U20 World Cup.

    On Monday in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala, victory over the USA will send the Flying Eagles into the knockout rounds, and Maxwell Effiom, Henry Offia, Ayotomiwa Dele-Bashiru and Aliu Salawudeen, who all scored against Qatar, will look to add to their tournament tally.