U-23 Eagles’ defence needs to be fortified – Lawal

Former Super Eagles midfielder, Garba Lawal, has urged U-23 Head coach, Samson Siasia, to fortify his team’s defence ahead of their next game against Egypt on Wednesday at the African U-23 Championship in Senegal. The U-23 Eagles defeated Mali 3-2 with two goals from Junior Ajayi and Muhammed Usman with all the goals coming in the first half. The Malians however fought back in the second half, getting two goals through Adama Niane and Abdoulaye Diarra, ensuring a nervy final moments for the U-23 Eagles.

“The Eagles played well in the first half and got three goals, however they lost concentration and were very relaxed in the second half as the defence lost focus,’’ he said. He further advised the team to be more cautious and disciplined when they battle their Egyptian counterparts in their next game.

“The Eagles need to remain focused for the entire duration of the match against Egypt as they cannot afford to make such mistakes at a championship like this,’’ he warned. Nigeria will confront Egypt on Wednesday at the Stade Caroline Faye in M’bour for the group’s match day 2 clash while they will round off the group game against Algeria on Friday in Dakar. The top two teams in each group will progress to the semifinal where the final three teams in the eightteam championship qualify to represent Africa at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.