Nigeria progress in Africa Games

Nigeria coach Austin Eguavoen is happy his team thrashed Liberia

Nigeria and South Africa cruised into the final qualifying round for the 2011 All-Africa Games football tournament this weekend while Guinea Bissau and Uganda sprang surprises.

The Nigerian ‘Dream Team’ made it 16 goals in four matches since late March when they came from behind to crush Liberia 6-1 at home with AC Milan starlet Nnamadi Oduamadi among the scorers.

A South African side lacking club-tied star striker Bongani ‘Drogba’ Ndulula fell 2-1 away to Malawi after conceding a late goal, but were comfortable aggregate winners having taken a three-goal lead to central Africa.

Guinea Bissau, among the weakest football nations in the west of the continent, trailed and led before forcing a 2-2 draw in Senegal, who lost the first leg two weeks ago.

Tanzania, shock conquerors of Cameroon in an Olympic Games qualifier last month, suffered a 3-1 home loss to arch rivals Uganda with Ibrahim ‘Saddam’ Juma bagging a brace.

Nigeria will face Ghana during June and July for a place at the September All-Africa Games in Mozambique where football and athletics are expected to be the main attractions at the quadrennial ‘African Olympics’.

South Africa face Zimbabwe or Botswana, Guinea Bissau meet Guinea and Uganda play Eritrea or Kenya in other final-round ties in a regional competition restricted to under-23 footballers like the Olympics.

Nigeria are the most impressive African national team in this age group at present as they heeded the call of coach and former national team star Austin Eguavoen to be “ruthless”.

While competitive at home, Liberia travel poorly and the Benin City bashing came just a few weeks after a four-goal drubbing from Ivory Coast in a London Olympics qualifier switched from Abidjan to Accra because of unrest.

Caretaker coach Kinnah Phiri believed Malawi could overcome a 4-1 loss in South Africa, but he must have sensed it was not to be when Riaan Eugene equalised for the visitors on the stroke of half-time in Lilongwe.

Portugal-based Julio ‘Sami’ Leocisio was the toast of Guinea Bissau football as he scored twice within 18 minutes during the second half to leave Senegal needing three goals to qualify and they managed just one.

Tanzania got a rude awakening after stunning Cameroon and it could have been even more embarrassing as Shabaan ‘Kado’ Hassan saved an early Emmanuel Okwi penalty before Juma scored twice inside seven minutes.

The final round of qualifiers is scheduled for June and July after which seven countries qualify to join hosts Mozambique at the 3-18 September tournament.

The All-Africa Games football competition is restricted to under-23 footballers with qualifiers staged regionally and the eight-team finale is scheduled for September 3-18 in Mozambique.