Daily Independent (Lagos)
26 April 2011
An improved defence could see Flying Eagles progress to the final at the Orange Africa Youth Championships (AYC) at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto on Thursday.
Flying Eagles campaign so far has been rather inconsistent. First it overcame defending champions Ghana 2-1 in its opening Group B match, slumped 0-1 to Cameroon before overcoming Gambia 2-0 in its last group match to pick one of the semi-final tickets.
“I lost almost my entire defence just before we came to South Africa for this tournament. So building a credible defence is work in progress as the competition got underway,” says coach John Obuh.
Going into Monday’s final preliminary against Gambia, the Nigerians had its backs to the wall and faced possible elimination. Obuh’s defensive formation finally clicked and held the marauding Gambian strikers at bay all through the match.
The introduction of Stanley Okoro as an impact player in the second half paid off. He found the back of the net before skipper Ramon Azeez made it two.
When the referee blew the final whistle there was a collective sigh of relief among Nigerians at the Milpark Stadium in Johannesburg. Nigeria secured a hard fought 2-0 victory.
“As the competition unfolds we have eventually found a defensive formula. We have achieved our minimum goals of picking a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia in July,” says Obuh.
“The core of this team comprises of those who played in the side I guided to win the silver medal at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria.
They have been together as a playing unit for two years and know each other well,” Obuh explained.
“Therefore I expect more. Defensively we must remain alert against the skilful Malians in Thursday’s semifinal.
I am convinced we will achieve more in this tournament,” Obuh said.
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