Flying Eagles Set For Bujumbura Battle

Flying Eagles Set For Bujumbura Battle

Adeboye   18:56:00   No comments:

The delegation of U-20 National Team, Flying Eagles, has arrived in Bujumbura ahead of Saturday’s 2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations qualifying match against the Young Swallows of Burundi.

A team of 18 players and 11 officials landed at the Burundi International Airport on Thursday afternoon and was received by officials of the Nigeria Embassy led by 2nd Secretary, Chrisantus Daniel and Counselor Dennis Chukwueze. There were also officials of the Federation de Football de Burundi.

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke has spoken about the determination of his team to do Nigeria proud on Saturday. The match is scheduled for the artificial turf of Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium from 3pm Burundi time (2pm Nigeria time).

The Flying Eagles trained at 5pm Burundi time on Thursday, and were also to train at 3pm Burundi time on Friday. Both teams did not kick a ball in the first round, with reigning African champions Nigeria drawn bye while Burundi’s opponents, DR Congo, withdrew from the race.

Meanwhile, Coach Amuneke had to drop defender Tobechukwu Ibe just before departure, as doctors insisted he would not be fit for the match. His place has been taken by Samuel Opeh.

The winner on aggregate will qualify for the final round of qualifying for the 2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations to be held in Zambia.

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Amuneke Drops Six More Players From Flying Eagles Camp

Amuneke Drops Six More Players From Flying Eagles Camp

Adeboye   19:44:00   No comments:

Head Coach of the Nigeria U-20, Coach Emmanuel Amuneke has finally pruned the number of players in camp to 31 after Saturday’s friendly match with Nigeria National League side, Supreme Court FC.

The match ended 1-0 in favour of the Flying Eagles but it also afforded the technical crew an opportunity to further assess the ability of the fringe players ahead of the May 22, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with Burundi in Bujumbura.

Midfielder Kingsley Michael scored from the penalty spot in the 65th minute for the only goal of the match that is the fifth in a series of games played so far by the U-20 boys.

On Saturday, Amuneke fielded a completely new team against Supreme Court FC but was left disappointed at half time as the Flying Eagles failed to exhibit what they have learnt in over three weeks of intensive training. The second stanza saw the introduction of 10 new players as the U-20 boys began to dominate play, leading to a 65th minute penalty converted by Michael.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, the coaches introduced star players Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze to further pile pressure on the Abuja based team but their effort did not add to the scoreline as the match ended 1-0 at full time. Amuneke thanked the dropped players for their perseverance and endurance during the screening and advised them to stay fit as their services may still be required in the near future.

One more player will be dropped next week to further reduce the number in camp to 30. The Flying Eagles have so far played five matches, including defeating Sia-One Academy 4-1, Dabo Babes 5-0, Ace FC of Kaduna 6-2 and drawing 0-0 with Dreams FC of Makurdi.

Nigeria must beat Burundi over two legs to advance to the final round of the qualifiers in July this year.

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