The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Super Eagles

  • Fans hopeful Super Eagles will qualify for semi-finals

    Fans hopeful Super Eagles will qualify for semi-finals

    Some football enthusiasts in Nigeria on Sunday expressed optimism that the home-based Super Eagles would defeat hosts, Ghana, and qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing West Africa Football Union ( WAFU ) tournament in spite of their last goalless draw,

    Bethel Ugonna, a footballer with Golden FC of Port Harcourt told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that qualifying for the semi-finals was very possible.

    Ugonna urged the Salisu Yusuf coached boys to go all out as a team against the host country Ghana on Monday, and defeat them, while advising the team to improve on its attack.

    He said that the team had to galvanise its attack to be able to convert their chances to goals.

    “The attack makes mistakes, especially when it comes to scoring goals. It is time for them to sit up at least against Ghana in order to qualify for semi-finals,” Ugonna said.

    Also, Lambert Uba, a coach said that the CHAN Eagles would reach the semi-finals.

    Uba noted that the team’s determination and coordination were key to beating Ghana on Monday as he called for total crushing of Ghana.

    He said that this was time for the Eagles to show the stuff they were made of by humbling Ghana on their own pitch.

    Hassan Isa, a football fan and a businessman urged the Eagles to show that Nigeria’s recent disgrace of Cameroon, Africa’s champions was not a fluke by beating Ghana.

    Isa said that he had no fears about the Super Eagles whether home-based or not, especially with their recent performance in World Cup qualifiers.

    Nigeria on Thursday were held to a goalless draw by Mali in their first group match having eliminated Sierra Leone in the knock stage.

    Again the Super Eagles were taken back from clinching the semifinals ticket by the Syli Eagles of Guinea on Saturday.

    The Salisu Yusuf boys will on Monday slug it out with Ghana in an all-important match to decide the semi-finals ticket.

  • Nigeria drops in FIFA Ranking

    Nigeria drops in FIFA Ranking

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria dropped six places in the latest FIFA Coca Cola world rankings despite impressive results against Cameroon in the World Cup qualifying matches.

    The rankings released on Thursday by Football World Governing body showed that the Eagles dropped from the 38th to the 44th position in the world and fifth in Africa with 695 points.

    It said that Egypt retained the first position on the continent and 30th in the world with 815 points, followed by Tunisia with 810 points and 31st in the world.

    Senegal is third on the continent and 33 in the world with 774 points while DR Congo is 4th in Africa and 42 in the world with 709 points.

    African Champions, Cameroon are 6th in Africa and 45th in the world with 689 points.

    In the top 10 ranked countries, Germany became the number while Brazil is second.

    Portugal is third, Argentina fourth, Belgium fifth and Poland sixth.

    Osita Okeke, Chairman, Nigeria Football Supporters Club, South Africa chapter, said that there was no cause to worry about the latest rankings as it affects the Eagles.

    “ Our concern now is to get the World Cup ticket from group B. That should be our immediate priority.

    “ It is not that the FIFA ranking is not good, but, the Eagles should be focused on beating Zambia in their next match.

    “The ticket is our immediate goal and the Supporters club in South Africa are solidly behind the Eagles,” Okeke said.

  • WAFU CUP: Nigeria Show Character, Mali Dominate

    WAFU CUP: Nigeria Show Character, Mali Dominate

    Super Eagles played to a goalless in the WAFU Nation Cup group opener against their Eagles opponent from Mali.

    The first shot on goal in the Thursday game at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium; Ghana came from the Malian Mohamed Traore, in eighth minute into the march.It was a goalmouth scramble inside the Nigerian box but the attacker volleyed the 16-yards shout over the bar.

    Ten minutes later, it was the Super Eagles had their first shot on goal when Uche Akas fired a straight 22-yard free-kick into the arms of the Malian keeper.

    Eleven minutes after Nigeria came close to scoring again when Stephen Eze met a corner-kick with a strong header, but his ten-yard effort was well-saved by the goalkeeper.

    Neither side could break the deadlock before the half time whistle.

    The second half started very slowly with the first attempt on goal only coming on the hour mark when Boubacar Samassekou met a free-kick from the left, but his ten-yard header sailed over the Nigerian goal.

    In the 69th minute Moussa Kone was afforded a great chance to score when he drove into the box, but with just Ikechukwu Ezenwa to beat he fluffed his shot and the Super Eagles keeper made a comfortable save.

    A minute later Olamileka Aniyikaye came to the rescue for Nigeria when he cleared a 12-yard shot from Mandala Konte off the goalline with his head.

    Nigeria threw players forward in the final ten minutes of the game and nearly stole the win in the 85th minute when Friday John met a free-kick from the left, but his 14-yard header skimmed the wrong side of the crossbar.

    The match ended goalless.

    Nigeria’s next Group A match will take place on Saturday, September 16 against Guinea while Mali will face Ghana on the same day.

    Mali (0) 0

    Nigeria (0) 0

    Teams

    Mali coach: Nouhoum Diane

    Mali: 16. Diarra, 13. I Samake, 4 Samassekou, 15. I Traore, 14. L Samake, 17. M Traore (2. Bah 64’), 6. Konte, 8. Coulibaly, 7. Malle (10. Niangadou 77’), 11. Kone, 9. Kida (18. Dieng 65’).

    Nigeria coach: Salisu Yusuf

    Nigeria: 1. Esenwa, 2. Okoro, 6. Eze, 5. Ariwachukwu, 3. Akas, 4Aremu, 8. Ifeanyi (17. Ashadi 62’), 10. Ali, 7. John, 14. Gabriel (9. Okpotu 76’), 18. Eduwo (11. P Moses 61’).

  • WAFU Cup: Nigeria Face Mali in Group Stage Opener

    WAFU Cup: Nigeria Face Mali in Group Stage Opener

    The home based Super Eagles will on Thursday play Mali for their first group stage match in the ongoing West African Football Union (WAFU) Cup.

    A new group stage fixtures was announced on Tuesday by WAFU and Nigeria will no longer play Ghana but Mali on Thursday.

    WAFU Nations Cup is an association football competition that is contested by representative teams of the West African Football Union.

     

    As gathered the match between Mali and Nigeria will now open Group A fixtures in Cape Coast by 4pm Nigerian.

    The home Eagles match will be followed by the game between Ghana and Guinea.

    Coach Yusuf Salisu boys will on Saturday, square up against Guinea for their second fixtures, while Ghana faces Mali.

    The final round of Group A matches will be played on Monday, September 18, with Nigeria battling home team Ghana, while Guinea square up against Mali.

    The top two teams will advance to the knockout semi-finals of the sub-regional competition, which has been revived with new sponsors Fox Sports.

    The final is fixed for Sunday, September 24.

    • Thursday

    Mali vs Nigeria 4pm

    • Saturday, Sept 16

    Nigeria vs Guinea 4pm

    • Monday, Sept 18

    Nigeria vs Ghana 6pm

    Recall that Nigeria progressed to the group stages of the tournament after winning Sierra Leone 2-0.

  • Football enthusiasts hail Eagles’ good start

    Football enthusiasts hail Eagles’ good start

    Football enthusiasts on Tuesday hailed the Super Eagles for the team’s good start to their campaign in the ongoing West African Football Union (WAFU) Cup of Nations in Ghana.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Super Eagles B team got their WAFU Cup campaign underway on a positive note with a 2-0 victory over their Sierra Leoneans counterparts on Monday night.

    Late goals from Osas Okoro and Peter Eneji were the tonic needed by the Salisu Yusuf tutored lads to break the resistance of the impressive Lone Stars at the Cape Coast Stadium.

    With the win, Nigeria progressed to the Group A, which also comprises hosts Ghana, Mali and Guinea.

    A cross section of football enthusiasts who spoke to NAN noted that it was a hard fight won by the Ikechukwu Ezenwa side, adding that the team must sustain the momentum and team spirit.

    Garba Lawal, an ex-international said teamwork was germane to the Eagles’ victory against a resilient Sierra Leonian side.

    “It was a well-coordinated effort by the team from the goalkeeping, defence, midfield to the attacking departments.

    “I must particular commend Ezenwa for putting up a ‘man-of-the-match’ performance.

    “He was mountainous in goal and proved why he is ready for bigger tasks for the Super Eagles in future.

    “I hope the boys can continue playing like this and if they do, they will definitely be a handful for any other team in the tournament,” he said.

    Bala Mohammed, Technical Adviser of Niger Tornadoes FC said Rabiu Ali’s performance, among others, impressed him the most.

    “Ali is a sure stopper when he gets his bearing in games.

    “He was at the heart of the Eagles’ positive moves and linked up well with his wicked passes, just the way he does for Kano Pillars.

    “Also, Osas Okoro and Chima Akas were always venturing forward and looking to provide support to the attackers.

    “They provided width to the tactical system of the Super Eagles and weren’t found wanting.

    “Okoro’s free kick was a typical “Television Goal” and he started the move that resulted in the second goal of the game.

    “With this kind of performance, I think the boys will go very far in the tournament,” he said.

    Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu of MFM FC praised Coach Salisu Yusuf for his tactical and technical prowess which saw the game turn on its head.

    He explained that the positive substitutions made by the coach was unprecedented, noting that a difficult game was always won from the bench.

    “The trio of Peter Eneji, Ubong Friday and Gabriel Okechukwu read a script dished out by Yusuf Salisu and acted it perfectly.

    “The three attackers were menacing when they were thrown into the fray and that was the antidote needed to deal with such games.

    “Kudos to the team for a hard-fought victory,” he said.

    Dele Johnson, Coach of Henfield FC, Abuja said he was impressed by team’s style of play, adding that they made football look beautiful to watch.

    “The team played a fluid and interesting game and the goal by Peter Eneji was a sweeping team move. Tic tac, sexy football, one touch game and whoops it landed at the back of the net.

    “It was a one time finish from Eneji, who curled a low shot beyond the stranded keeper.

    “The Plateau United man reminded fans of the predatory abilities of the late Rashidi Yekini with his goal poacher’s effort.

    “Keep it up guys and keep flying the country’s flag high,” he advised.

  • Super Eagles in Accra for WAFU

    Super Eagles in Accra for WAFU

    The Super Eagles on Sunday night landed in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, ahead of their West Africa Football Union ( WAFU ) Cup of Nations opener against Sierra Leone.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Super Eagles will take on the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone in a Group A clash on Monday at 6 p.m. Ghana time (7 p.m. Nigeria time).

    According to a statement by the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF ), the Super Eagles landed in Accra and immediately proceeded to Takoradi by road.

    “The trip to Takoradi, where all the participating teams except the host team, Ghana are being accommodated, took four hours.

    “Nigeria’s flag bearers are accommodated at the Best Western Hotel in the twin city of Sekondi,’’ the statement said.

    It quoted the Eagles’ Team Administrator, Dayo Achor, as saying that the Nigerian team would depart Takoradi for Cape Coast, a journey of an hour and half by road at 3 p.m. on Monday, for the game against the Leone Stars.

    Victory over the Leone Stars will take Nigeria into the tournament’s group phase contest that will see the surviving eight teams divided into two groups of four teams each.

    Hosts, Ghana and Guinea are among the teams that have made it into the group phase after the Ghanaians survived a tough duel with The Gambia 1-0 while Guinea came from behind to trounce Guinea Bissau 2-1.

    Mali will tackle Mauritania in Monday’s first match starting at 3 p.m. Ghana time ( 4 p.m. Nigeria time).

    Eagles’ Head Coach, Salisu Yusuf, is using the tournament as part of preparations for next year’s 5th African Nations Championship (CHAN), for which Nigeria has qualified after edging out Benin Republic.

  • Nigeria, Cameroon matches dominate Google

    Nigeria, Cameroon matches dominate Google

    Nigeria’s 4-0 first leg win over Cameroon in the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers, dominated searches this week on Google.

    Google’s spokesman Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade made the announcement in a dispatch to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

    According to Kola-Ogunlade, this week’s top trending search terms on Google range from sports to celebrity news.

    He said that sports-loving Nigerians got excited over the Eagles’ performance against their counterparts in the qualifiers.

    The Eagles are now leading their group with 10 points from matches played so far.

    “Their 4-0 win over Cameroon on Friday and 1-1 draw by the Lions of Cameroon on Monday has gotten fans, sport experts, coaches and speculators predicting that the Super Eagles might qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

    “Excited fans raced to Google search to get more details about upcoming matches for the qualifiers.”

    Kola-Ogunlade said that the American professional tennis player, Serena Williams, who was reported to have given birth to a baby girl on Sep. 1 also attracted searches on Google.

    He said that the announcement of Serena’s first child with fiancé, Alexis Ohanian, was made by reporter Chris Shepherd via Twitter.

    “Though the couple have not officially announced the birth, the tennis star’s fans and celebrity friends have since taken to Google to share their congratulatory messages.”

    The Google manager said that concerned Nigerians also searched Google to read more about the distressing news of the North Korea missile test.

    “North Korean President Kim Jong-un was pictured during yet another round of nuclear missiles testing over the weekend.

    “The images have sparked tension in South Korea, the U.S. and Europe.

    “Han Tae Song, the Ambassador of North Korea to the UN, the North Korean Supreme Leader vowed to send more “gift packages” to the U.S.,” said Kola-Ogunlade

    The Google image maker said that American singer, songwriter and actress Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, turned 36 on Sept. 4.

    “The pop star celebrated her birthday in spectacular fashion by starting an awareness campaign to support hurricane relief efforts in her hometown, Houston.

    “Beyoncé, wearing one of the iconic outfits from her “Formation” video, shared images of her friends and family on her website.

    “Beneath the images was a message and link asking fans to support the Hurricane Harvey disaster relief efforts.

    “While Nigerian Beyhive’s congratulated and commended the singer for the effort, others criticised her, which made Nigerians interested in the debate go to Google to get the full gist.”

    Google Trends launched in May, 2006, allows one to see how popular, search terms and its demography have been over time on the search engine.

  • Gernot Rohr Confirms Enyeama’s Return

    Gernot Rohr Confirms Enyeama’s Return

    Former captain and goalkeeper of the senior national team of Nigeria, Vincent Enyeama may have agreed to return to the national team according to hint from coach Gernot Rohr.
    The Super Eagles Coach hinted that an injury which required surgery ruled Enyeama out of the recently concluded back to back World Cup qualifying matches against Cameroon.Rohr who cited Enyeama’s injury as the reason why he was not in the squad for the games reckoned that the goalkeeper is now back in training as the number one goal keeper is close to a come back.Deemed surplus to requirements by new coach of Lille Marcelo Bielsa the Nigerian also need to sort out his club future before his return can be made according to coa‎ch Rohr.

    Enyeama is however keeping in touch with the progress of Nigeria at the ongoing World Cup 2018 Qualifiers, where they are one win away from qualifying for the‎ World Cup in Russia.

    The 34 year old gave his backing to the much talked about central defence partnership of Leon Balogun and William Troost-Ekong by retweeting a post from Ekong with the nickname given to the pair “OyiboWall”.

    Enyeama who has been away from the team for two years has however posted a video of himself doing some works with the ball as he trained.

     

  • NFF pays Eagles full bonus, prepares for Zambia

    NFF pays Eagles full bonus, prepares for Zambia

    The Nigeria Football Federation has opted to pay players and officials of the Super Eagles the full match bonus for Monday’s crunchy 2018 FIFA World Cup encounter against the Lions of Cameroon in Yaounde, even though the tie ended in a draw.

    NFF President Amaju Pinnick disclosed this to the team on board the ARIK aircraft that flew the Nigerian delegation back from Yaounde on Tuesday morning.

    Excited players and officials applauded as Pinnick insisted it was just reward for a masterclass output by the Nigerian squad over the two legs of the most anticipated fixture of Group B.

    “When the draw was made last year, people said ours was the Group of Death. But you have stayed very much alive with scintillating performances and done the nation very proud.”

    The Member of CAF Executive Committee also disclosed on Tuesday morning that preparations for next month’s big encounter against the Chipolopolo of Zambia, at which the Super Eagles are highly expected to pick the World Cup ticket, has started in earnest.

    “Even before the conclusion of this second match against Cameroon in Yaounde, we had started the arrangements for the match against Zambia. The Chairman of Organizing Committee (NFF 1st VP, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi) will travel to Uyo this week to see Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State and they will go through the check –list together.

    “Nothing will be left to chance. It is a very big match, and the way things have turned out against Cameroon, it is now an even bigger match than the ones we played against Cameroon. There must be no room for error.”

  • Preview: Nigeria vs Cameroon

    Preview: Nigeria vs Cameroon

    Nigeria’s Super Eagles are set to face the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the  second  leg of the  2018 World qualifiers later today (Monday 4 of September) in Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital.

    The match is scheduled to commence at 6pm

    The first leg played last Friday in Uyo ended with Eagles scoring four goals to nil.

    Both teams have met 21 times in the past, with Cameroon winning four times, while Nigeria boasts a massive 11 wins and six games ended in a draw.

    The Super Eagles are in good form under Gernot Rohr having won all three played so far in the qualifying round.

    Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia are in in the same group for the World cup qualifiers to hold in Russia. 

    Players to watch:
    * Victor Moses (Nigeria) if he gets into his rhythm, he will be unstoppable, and should create most of Nigeria’s scoring chances. He won the man of the match in the first leg

    * Christian Mougang Bassogog (Cameroon) named Best Player at AFCON 2017; he is a winger who could trouble Nigeria’s fullbacks.