The Nation Newspaper

Tag: U-17 World Cup

  • Sweden will fall now – Eaglets coach

    Sweden will fall now – Eaglets coach

    Golden Eaglets coach, Manu Garba, has said he hopes to go past group rivals Sweden in Tuesday’s U-17 World Cup semi-final.

    The Nigerians had to draw on their rich experience to draw 3-3 with Sweden in a Group F match in Al Ain penultimate week, but Manu said it would be a different ball game when the two teams meet again in the semi-final at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai.

    With a total of 20 goals in five matches, the Eaglets remain the best attacking team at the 2013 U-17 World Cup and Manu said his team will be ready to see off the Swedes.

    “I want to congratulate the boys for a job well done against Uruguay and Sweden should be ready for our fireworks in the semi-final on Tuesday,” he said.

    “We have learned so much playing against Sweden the last time, but we shall be ready for them this time around,” MTNFootball.com quoted the Eaglets coach as saying at a post-match conference on Saturday.

    With African champions Cote d’Ivoire bundled out by Argentina 2-1 in an earlier quarterfinal played at the same Stadium, Manu noted the onus is now on the Golden Eaglets to carry the banner of the continent.

    “It is unfortunate that our African brothers Cote d’Ivoire are out of the tournament, but we are going to fly the flag of the continent since so much would be expected of us now,” he noted.

     

  • Eaglets set to break Uruguay hoodoo

    Eaglets set to break Uruguay hoodoo

    Golden Eaglets will on Saturday aim to halt Nigeria’s losing run against Uruguay this year.

    In June, Uruguay full international team beat the Super Eagles 2-1 at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil and the South Americans recorded the same win at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey in a round of 16 clash.

    Besides gunning for the scalp of Uruguay, the Nigeria youngsters also seek a place in the last four of the U-17 World Cup as they stay on course for a fourth world title at this age level, while the Uruguayans are looking for their first title.

    This is the first time both nations are meeting at this level.

    Uruguay finished second in the last edition of the competition after losing to Mexico 2-0 in the final.

    MTNFootball.com reports that Uruguay has met African opponents at the U-17 World Cup four times, lost two times and won twice.

     

     

  • U-17 World Cup: Nigeria pips Iran

    U-17 World Cup: Nigeria pips Iran

    … Meets Uruguay in Saturday’s quarter final

    Nigeria on Tuesday defeated Iran 4-1 at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates.

    Three first half goals by Samuel Okon, Kelechi Iheanacho and Musa Mohammed put the three-time world champions in the driving seat.

    Nigeria added the fourth goal in the second half through Musa Yahaya, while the Iranians got their consolation goal through Ali Gholizadeh.

    Nigeria will play Uruguay in one of the two quarter final matches slated for Saturday.

    Other pairings are – Brazil vs Mexico; Sweden vs Honduras and Argentina vs Cote’d’ Ivoire.

     

     

     

  • Eaglets’ striker to undergo scan in Dubai

    Eaglets’ striker to undergo scan in Dubai

    Golden Eaglets striker, Isaac Success, could undergo a scan following the injury he sustained in his team’s 3-3 draw with Sweden in the ongoing FIFA Under-17 World Cup game in United Arab Emirates.

    The team coach, Manu Garba, disclosed that the striker will be scrutinised medically to ascertain his fitness ahead of Friday’s clash against Iraq.

    “The doctor has told me Isaac Success will have to be checked when we get to Dubai. It is possible to have a scan on his injury to be sure the extent of damage as we cannot say for now.

    “I’m trusting that barring anything serious he should be fit for our next game. But we will wait to hear from the doctor (of the team) to know what is next,” supersport.com quoted the Eaglets’ coach as saying to journalists on Wednesday.

    Garba also took time to decipher the performance of the Golden Eaglets against Sweden at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.

    He blamed the three goals his team conceded against Sweden on “lack of concentration.”

    “We did well against Mexico and I scored the players 90 percent. But today (Tuesday), I can only give them 60 percent because all the three goals we conceded were due to lack of concentration,” Garba said.

    “We knew that the Swedes would play a direct kind of game which is typical of their style and we told the players but it was unfortunate that we conceded those goals through lack of concentration.

    “Of course, we came out to win but we are happy with the draw and I believe this is how God wanted it to be. We knew how they were going to play and I don’t think it was the size, that mattered rather the timing of our defence was poor.”

    Garba has, however, promised that “the Iraqis would live to tell the story” when they face Nigeria in one of the final games of Group F in Dubai.

     

  • Iheanacho a star in the making – Eaglets coach

    Iheanacho a star in the making – Eaglets coach

    Golden Eaglets coach, Manu Garba, has tipped Kelechi Iheanacho to be one of the stars at the ongoing U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

    MTNFootball.com reports that Iheanacho scored four goals as Nigeria dumped reigning champions Mexico 6-1 in an opening group game on Saturday.

    “I am not surprised that he was able to score four goals for us because he is a very good player and I have no doubt that he would be one of the stars to watch out for at this tournament,” Manu remarked.

    The four-goal hero revealed that he prayed for two goals and got even more.

    “Before the match, I specifically requested for two goals from God and after scoring the first two in the first half, I never knew God has better plans for us,” he said.

    “The glory of this victory belongs to all of us because it was a team effort and we are all looking forward to a good tournament.”

    He said the goals are to the memory of his late mother as well as his younger brother, Chibuike.

    Mrs. Iheanacho passed on in February and Iheanacho said her memories flooded back as he entered the pitch against the defending champions, adding that she would be proud of his achievement.

    “Of course, I remember my mum before the start of the match, but there is nothing I can do about her death. I dedicate the goals to her memory as well as to my younger brother, Chibuike Iheanacho, who I believe would be a very great player in the future,” he said.

     

  • U-17 World Cup: Nigeria cancels Qatar training

    U-17 World Cup: Nigeria cancels Qatar training

    The Nigeria U-17 team has cancelled a proposed training camp in Qatar due to logistic reasons, officials have said.

    MTNFootball.com gathered that the Aspire Academy in Doha, Qatar, where the Golden Eaglets would have trained is fully booked.

    The team will now fly directly to the United Arab Emirates to train for at least two weeks before the FIFA U-17 World Cup kicks off on October 17.

    “The Golden Eaglets’ players are still in the country training in the final phase of local preparation. They could not go to Qatar due to logistics reasons,” said the General Secretary of the Nigeria football Federation (NFF), Musa Amadu.

    “But the Federation is making frantic effort to see that the team train for at least two weeks in UAE to help the team acclimatise ahead of the World Cup.

    “We will decide later this week where in the UAE the team would camp, but the boys would have at least two weeks of closed and concentrated training in the UAE,” he added.

    Nigeria will play in Group F alongside defending champions Mexico, Sweden and Iraq.

     

  • U-17 World Cup: Eaglets land in tricky group

    U-17 World Cup: Eaglets land in tricky group

    Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets had been handed a tough test after drawing the defending champions Mexico, Iraq and Sweden in the draws for the FIFA cadet youth championship which took place in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.

    The draws which took place at the Hotel Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi saw the Manu Garba team pitched in Group F.

    The Mexicans would start the defence of the trophy they won as hosts in 2011 when they confronted the Eaglets on October 19.

    Nigeria has won the tournament three times previously in 1985, 1993 and 2007.

    Full draws

    GROUP A: UAE, Honduras, Brazil, Slovakia

    GROUP B: Uruguay, New Zealand, Cote ‘d”Ivoire, Italy

    GROUP C: Croatia, Morocco, Panama, Uzbekistan

    GROUP D: Tunisia, Venezuela, Russia, Japan

    GROUP E: Canada, Austria, Iran, Argentina

    GROUP F: Mexico, Nigeria, Iraq, Sweden

     

  • Age scare: More Eaglets to be ‘thrown out’

    Age scare: More Eaglets to be ‘thrown out’

    Nigeria’s U-17 team will be further decimated after a decision to throw out more players who are on the borderline of a recent age test.

    MTNFootball.com reports that officials have recommended that players who are on grade 5 of the recent MRI test be asked to go rather than risk them for the FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

    FIFA accept grade 5 for the U17 World Cup, but officials have said players on that grade from the recent MRI scan could well be past that grade by the time of the tournament.

    There is also the possibility that the MRI machine used in Nigeria may not be as sophisticated as what would eventually be used at UAE.

    Confused U-17 officials had divided the players on grade 5 into A and B with those in A with a better chance to scale the age test in Dubai.

    However, this division was disregarded by medical experts, who said there was no basis for such division.

    “The final decision to do away with players on grade 5 has thrown the Eaglets into more confusion as it means many more players will now have to be decamped,” a top official informed MTNFootball.com

    “We don’t wish to take unnecessary risks and so this decision.

    “It simply means the coaches have to draft capable replacements for the players to be affected by this.”

    The FIFA U17 World Cup in the UAE will be played from October 17 with the draw to be staged on August 26 in Abu Dhabi.