Sports
Under-20 W/Cup: F’Ealges Win Again, Berth In Second Round
John Obuh’s Flying Eagles conjured up another five-goal performance as they swept past Croatia 5-2 to power their way into the Under-20 World Cup second round in Colombia early yesterday morning.
Substitute Uche Nwofor claimed two goals, but winger Ahmed Musa shined brightest in a field of shining Flying Eagles lights.
The Nigerians needed a convincing win to dislodge Saudi Arabia, who shot to the top of the group with a 6-0 thumping of Guatemala earlier on, and they made a cracking start. Abdul Jeleel Ajagun slipped in an excellent ball to Kayode Olanrewaju following a mesmerising Nigerian passing sequence, and the forward, timing his run to perfection, finished with a low shot under the keeper.
It was 2-0 soon after. Marauding left back Terna Suswan was allowed way too much sight of goal, and unleashed a contender for goal of the tournament from 25 yards. The Flying Eagles have suffered from poor defending, and when Suswan went through his man with just minutes to halftime, it looked ominous.
And so it proved. Zvonko Pamic delivered, the Nigerian centre backs mucked around, the ball fell kindly to Ivan Lendric four yards out and Dami Paul stood no chance.
That seemed to be the cue for the Europeans to punch forward in the second half, but they were soon deflated by Musa, who drove in a rasping effort from distance that again, left the keeper with no chance.
Again, the Nigerians were pegged back. and again, it was a set piece from Pamic. This time, Andrej Kramaric applied the finish with a decisive header.
Obuh threw on Uche Nwofor, and the striker, who top scored at the African Youth Championship, wasted little time staking a claim for a starting shirt.
Musa blitzed his way into the Croatia area, leaving defenders in his wake before laying it up for the Enugu Rangers man.
And then Suswan delivered a superb cross for him to nip in between two defenders and finish. Nigeria, who found goals hard to come by in pre-tournament friendlies, have now hit 10 in two games without really stepping past second gear.
They will now be confident of battering their way past Saudi Arabia, when their battle for group supremacy comes around on Saturday.
Croatia, on their part, will hope that a basketful of goals against Guatemala will earn them a place as one of the best losers, as long as results elsewhere go their way.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.