Nigeria/Tanzania: London 2012 – Vijana Stars Arrive for Dream Team

17 June 2011

Tanzania’s U-23 National team, known as Vijana Stars will fly into Lagos on Friday morning aboard a Kenyan Airways flight, for Saturday’s London 2012 Olympic Games qualifying cracker against Nigeria’s Dream Team.

The 30-man delegation, according to the Tanzania Football Federation, will land in Lagos at 10am after connecting the Kenyan Airways flight from Nairobi. Officials of the Nigeria Football Federation have confirmed that the delegation will be airlifted from Lagos to the ancient city of Benin aboard an Associated Airline flight by noon on Friday.

The Vijana Stars are expected to have their only training session before the match at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Friday evening.

Coach Austin Eguavoen has been pondering his aces after a number of key players went down with injury, but is still spoilt for choice thanks to the embarrassment of riches in his camp.

Eguavoen’s squad created bags of chances in the first leg but wasted all while the Vijana Stars, who knocked out 2000 Olympics gold medallists Cameroon in the earlier round, scored from their only real opportunity.

It’s unusual for the Dream Team to be on the back foot in any fixture since starting the Olympics and All-Africa Games qualifying races, but Eguavoen says his team is up to the task and will fire from all cylinders when the whistle goes for kick-off at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Saturday evening.

The visiting team will stay at ISNO Hotel, GRA, Benin City.

Senegalese referee, Ousmane Fall will be at the centre for the big game with compatriots, Maguette Ndiaye as 1st Assistant, Serigne Cheikh Toure as 2nd Assistant and Daouda Gueye as 4th Official. The Match Commissioner is Emmanuel Zombre from Burkina Faso.

Meanwhile, left winger, Babatunde Michael is set to replace injured Milan ace, Nnamdi Oduamadi for Saturday’s crucial Olympic qualifier against Tanzania.

Michael, who features for Ukrainian side, Kryvbas FC, has been in fine form in training, is up against Heartland star Osas Okoro and Josiah Madabuchi from Enyimba to fill in for Oduamadi in the starting XI of Dream Team V.

Oduamadi left the team’s Benin training camp Tuesday night for Lagos to get further medical attention following the left lateral ankle injury he suffered in training the previous day.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has charged the country’s Olympic side to go all out for a convincing victory in this weekend’s 2012 Olympic Games second round, second leg qualifier against the Vijana Stars of Tanzania.

NFF Deputy General Secretary (Technical), Emmanuel Ikpeme, said: “I was with the team in Tanzania and I can confirm our team were better but they underrated the Vijana Stars. We have what it takes to beat this Tanzanians but we must not be complacent.

“I’m happy that the coach Austin Eguavoen and the players know what is a stake and I want to believe that if Tanzania were able to beat us 1-0, I don’t see what stops us from cancelling that goal and go ahead and win Saturday’s match well.”

AllAfrica – All the Time