Sports
2023 AFCON Qualifiers: S’ Eagles Demolish Sao Tome In Historic Victory
The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Monday produced a superlative performance as they recorded their biggest win in history following a 10-0 demolition of Sao Tome and Principe in matchday 2 of the 2023bAfrixa Cup of Nations AFCON, qualifiers, Tidesports source report.
There were so many firsts on the score sheet as Victor Osimhen, Lookman Ademola, Terem Moffi and Dennis Emmanuel all made history.
While Osimhen scored his first a haul (four goals) for the Eagles, Terem Moffi scored his first international goal and he made it a double, Leicester City of England attacker, Lookman Ademola who Jose Peseiro preferred in the starting lineup over Samuel Chukwueze scored his first goal as well as Watford’s striker, Dennis Emmanuel was also on target.
In a dominant fashion with the team not ready for flippancy, Victor Osimhen raised the bar in 9 minutes before Moses Simone doubled the lead in 28th minute.
Terem Moffi made it 3-0 as both teams went into the dressing room for first half.
But more goals were to come as Lookman provided a superb assist for Osimhen to score his second of the day on the dot of 48th minute before Oghenekaro Etebo made it 5-0 7 minutes later
On the dot of 60 minutes, Terem Moffi scored his second goal while Lookman scored his first international goal for Nigeria on 63rd minute to make it 7-0 for the Eagles.
Decimated Sao Tome players refused to give up as they made spirited efforts to reduce the deficit but they were rather punished the more.
Victor Osimhen, hungry and undone, scored his 3rd and 4th goals in the 65th and 84th minutes to hand Nigeria a 9-0 lead
Osimhen had a hand in 6 goals as he scored 4 and assisted 2 as Dennis Emmanuel also scored his first goal in the 94th minute via spot kick to hand the Eagles 10-0 victory.
It is also the first time the team is keeping a clean sheet since their 2-0 win against Guinea Bissau in 2021 AFCON earlier in the year
It is the second time Nigeria is scoring 10+ goals in an International match following their 10–1 win against Dahomey in Lagos on 28 November, 1959.
The victory hands the Jose Peseiro-led lads Group A leadership pending the outcome of Sierra Leone vs Guinea Bissau match.
The Super Eagles will take on Guinea Bissau in a double header in September.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON will hold in Cote D’Ivoire next year.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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