Sports
Fans Commend Eagles, Siasia Over Madagascar Victory
Nigeria Football fans have commended the Super Eagles for defeating Madagascar 2-0 in the 2012 Nations Cup qualifier last weekend.
Some of the fans said that the victory was attained due to the players’ commitment and determination.
“It was determination that made us to win the game, because we knew that if we lost, there was no hope for us,” Coach Chioma Amadi of Young Stars Football Club, Mpape, Abuja, said.
He said he was confident that the Eagles would beat Guinea in their next match to qualify for the nation’s cup final.
According to him, the Eagles will be playing at home and they need only two goals to be ahead of Guinea which is currently heading its group.
He commended Coach Samson Siasia for motivating the players and called on him to improve on the strength of the strikers and midfielders.
In his contribution, Mr Kehinde Adedayo, a business man, said for the Eagles to get the ticket the players must work harder.
“It was a good performance, but extra effort is needed to see us through to the nation’s cup final,” he said.
Another business man, Mr Adams Elias, also called on the coach to concentrate more on the attack.
He said that the Eagles’ attack was suspect and that the attackers needed to work together to “give us goals”.
“We know they are all putting in their best, but their best is not good enough,” Elias said.
On his part, Mr Akinwumi Yemi, an artisan, called on the players not to celebrate now until the match against Guinea was over.
“We can’t celebrate now because we still have a match to play against Guinea before we can talk about qualifying,” he said.
Yemi, however, prayed that the Eagles should win the match to enable them qualify for the Nation’s Cup.
The championship will run from today to October 12 at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia. On the ground for the championship are athletes from Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda. They arrived on Sunday.
Some of the other countries were expected in the Abia State capital yesterday. Speaking on the championship, yesterday, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Nwobilor Ananaba, said the chief host, Governor Alex Otti, has mobilised facilities and the personnel to ensure a successful event.
Speaking through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Raymond Chima Ukwa, said: “We have the best mats, playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.
“If you go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable world-class playing field.” Thrilled by Governor Otti’s support for the competition, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) President, Francis Orbih, said that, besides making all the necessary arrangements that will ensure a successful hosting of the events, “we will have a Para-Badminton workshop for coaches and players.
“Nigeria is doing well, Abia is doing well, and we want to do better to improve on where we are, which is why all these have been put together by Governor Otti.”
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles began their campaign at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup with a narrow 1–0 loss to Norway on Monday, despite creating several opportunities to level the game.
Norway took the lead in the 9th minute after being awarded a controversial penalty. The Flying Eagles pressed for an equaliser but were denied two penalty claims in the second half.
Kparobo Arierhi came close in the 47th minute when his shot drifted wide with the goalkeeper beaten, while Tahir Maigana struck the upright in the 63rd minute.
Nasiru Salihu’s rising effort in the 71st minute also went narrowly over the bar, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Seven minutes from time, Maigana again tested Norway with a long-range strike that went just wide as Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure.
Despite their dominance, the Flying Eagles could not find the breakthrough and now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Saudi Arabia in their second group match.
-
Sports3 days agoFalconets thrashes 4-0 Rwanda in qualifiers
-
Education3 days agoFRSC to Establish Driving Training Centre at UniPort
-
News1 day ago
Nigeria At 65: NOA urges citizens to foster unity, progress
-
Oil & Energy3 days agoAfam 2 Power Plant Adds 160MW To National Grid, says Sahara Group
-
Business3 days agoSMEDAN, CAC Move To Ease Business Registration, Target 250,000 MSMEs
-
Sports1 day ago
Umuahia Hosts Africa Para- Badminton Championship
-
Maritime3 days agoBlue Economy: FG Targets Lower Logistic Costs, Trade Competitiveness
-
Rivers3 days agoYouth Leader Lauds Tinubu, Over Ogoni oil Dispute