France Sends F’ Eagles Packing … Win 3-2

France yesterday put a halt to the superlative performance of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles at the on-going World Youth Championship in Colombia, beating the Nigerians 3-2 at the end of 120 minutes in the quarter-final clash.

Although the hard-fighting Nigerian lads took charge of the game after taking the kick-off and made several daring incursions into their opponents’ vital area,  dexterity on the part of the French keeper deprived them of the curtain-raiser.

With the championship’s acclaimed most mesmerizing winger, Ahmed Musa, doing his trademark runs from the left flank, the Flying Eagles took charge of the game, hitting target on several occasions.

However, the French keeper proved his mettle when it mattered most, frustrating the Eagles efforts when his defenders were either caught napping, or could not stop the rampaging Nigerians.

The only threatening moment in the Nigerian defence came in the 41st minute, when a tip tap connection found the French side’s hottest boot, Alexanda Lacazette at the arc of the Nigerian box from where he took a sizzler headed for keeper Dami Paul’s far right.

It took Paul’s finesse to parry the ball over the bar for a corner kick. Incidentally, Lacazette was not done with the Eagles defence as he later proved. After being a thorn in the flesh of the Nigerian defence in the first stanzer, he added more bite in the second half.

Five minutes into the second half, Lacazette beat the Eagles’ offside trap to lash home the curtain raiser.

The goal gave the French team more confidence as they started holding onto the ball more confidently. On the contrary, the more confidence their opponents garnered, the more the Nigerian side seemed to lose confidence, and  lost control of the game.

But for few momentary unco-ordinated threats at the French goal, the Europeans remained incharge, while the likes of Musa fizzled out of the game.

A late minute substitute, Emmanuel Ejike, who replaced  Musa proved very timely as he later nodded home the equalizer with ten seconds left in added three minutes of play.

In the ensuring thirty minutes extra time, the French captain, Fofana and Lacazette hit the Eagles’ net in quick succession in the 102 and 104 minutes, with Ejike scoring a consolatory one in the second half of extra time.

The win means that France will play Portugal on Wednesday in one of the semi final matches as. Portugal eliminated Argentina  5-4 on penalties.

Tonye Orabere