Nigeria: Fifa U-20 W’cup – Flying Eagles Gets Favourable Draw

Daily Independent (Lagos)

28 April 2011

Five-time African champions Flying Eagles received a favourable draw for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Colombia after it was drawn against Croatia, Saudi Arabia and Guatemala in the first round.

Flying Eagles is drawn in Group D, which will be based in Armenia and Pereira, and open its campaign on Sunday, July 31 against Guatemala in Armenia.

Its next game will be against group top seeds Croatia on August 3 in Armenia, before completing its first round fixtures against Saudi Arabia on August 6 in Pereira.

Nigeria drew 1-1 with Group D rivals Saudi Arabia in a recent friendly in Dubai and is now expected to contend with Croatia for top spot in their first round group.

Africa’s three other representatives, Mali, Cameroon and Egypt, have relatively tougher draws.

Egypt faces tournament favourites Brazil in their opening group E match of the championship in a first round section that also includes Austria and Panama.

Mali is in Group A along with hosts Colombia, France and Korea Republic, while Cameroon will battle Portugal, Uruguay and the champions of Oceania, who is yet to be determined.

In group C are Australia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, while group F has Argentina, Mexico, England, North Korea

The top two teams from six groups along with four “third best teams” will qualify for the second round of the competition, which is slated for between July 29 and August 20.

Flying Eagles coach, John Obuh, has however said that the team’s group is neither tough nor easy.

He said in an interview in South Africa, “I wouldn’t say this is a tough or easy group.

“These days, I don’t put a lot of importance on what group I find myself. This was after the U-17 World Cup, where we were suppose to be in the ‘Group of Death’. Also at the AYC, it was another so-called ‘Group of Death’ that had Ghana and Cameroon.

“The best approach therefore is to face any team you come across in any competition.

“We still need to be focussed on our group for the World Cup, put in all we have got so as to go beyond this stage of the competition.

On Saudi Arabia he said that the team should have won the match against it in Dubai, saying, “We drew that game but we had everything going for us to win it. We outplayed them and now at least seven of the players who played against them in Dubai are not here with us in South Africa for the AYC. We have a better team now than we had in Dubai.

“We will not underrate any of our opponents because there could be surprises. Every game in our group will be like a cup final. We just have to be prepared.

“Our target is to make history for the country and ourselves. We have ambitions.

“We have played two finals of this competition and are yet to win it and so making history will now be to win it.

AllAfrica – All the Time