U-20 W/Cup: F’Eagles Brim With Confidence

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles are confident of a good outing at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup with their early arrival in Kayseri, Turkey on Monday evening, an official has said.

Samm Audu, the team’s Media Officer, said this in a statement on Monday, after the Nigerian under-20 men football team became the first Group B side to arrive in Kayseri.

“We are delighted to be in Kayseri and we hope to do our country proud at this tournament.

“We have worked hard and we all know we have to deliver and we will do so,’’ the statement quoted team skipper Abduljaleel Ajagun, as saying.

It said the team moved from Munich in Germany, to Istanbul in Turkey, and from there connected a local flight to Kayseri.

The statement said an unnamed official from the Nigerian embassy in Turkey, as well as the team’s liaison officer, Seckin Cakmakoglu, received the team on arrival at the Istanbul airport.

“This was around 4:00 p.m local time, which is 2:00 p.m Nigerian time— as Turkey is two hours ahead of Nigeria,’’ it added.

The statement said the Flying Eagles had since then checked into their Hilton Hotel base in Kayseri, with the entire squad quartered on the sixth floor.

Our correspondent reports that the Flying Eagles will play two group games before they head back to Istanbul for their final group game.

The other teams in Group B, namely Portugal, Cuba and South Korea, are also being expected at the same hotel.

Nigeria play its first game in the competition on Friday, facing Portugal in the second game of the group in a late kick-off fixture.