BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – Super Eagles Head Coach, José Santos Peseiro has applauded the Flying Eagles for their deserved quarter-finals qualification in the ongoing Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt.
Paseiro described as impressive the Flying Eagles’ performance against Mozambique’s Young Mambas on Saturday with goals from Samson Lawal and Ibrahim Muhammad, giving Nigeria all three points in their last group match of the competition now in its 23rd edition.
The Super Eagles Manager urged the team to remain focused as they seek continental glory having moved past the group stages into the quarter-finals rounds.
In returning to winning ways on Wednesday with their victory over host nation, Egypt, the Nigerians played with appreciable self-assurance and dominated large swathes of a game played under floodlights at an impressive facility in north-eastern Egypt.
After Ayuba Francis failed to make hay in the 6th and 24th minutes of the match played inside the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia, Lawal went past two defenders before releasing a fierce shot that nestled safely in the net, beyond the groping arms of Kimiss Zavala in the 32nd minute.
With about five minutes left of the first half, Muhammad made things more certain for Nigeria as he impressively rounded up the Mozambican defence and released a piledriver that easily beat Zavala for the second goal of the match.
In the second half, Nigeria’s safe hands Chijioke Aniagboso made sure that he denied substitute, Edson Mucuana from close range in the 55th minute, even as the Flying Eagles lost another opportunity of increasing the tally at the other end of the pitch with keeper Zavala at his best.
The victory now takes the Flying Eagles to six points with Senegal which pounded host nation Egypt 4-0 in Cairo, finishing top of the Group having garnered the maximum nine points from their three matches.
On its part, Nigeria which finished second will be facing the winner of Group B being hotly contested by Congo and Uganda in the quarter-finals on Thursday at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia.
