After rounding off their tour of Argentina on a winning note with a convincing 3-1 win over the U-20 side of Racing Club of Buenos Aires, the Nigeria U-17 team, Golden Eaglets on Tuesday departed for Santiago the venue for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Chile between October 17 and November 8.
The Eaglets were victories in their two friendly games against the Argentine U-17 (2-1) and U-20 side of Racing Club (3-1).
The Golden Eaglets are drawn against USA, Croatia and hosts, Chile in Group A.
A total of 52 games will be played to decide the winner of the FIFA U-17 World Cup. See when and where the action will be taking place.
The Eaglets have set the benchmark when it comes to U-17 football – at least, on the global level. With four FIFA U-17 World Cup titles as well as three further appearances in the final match, the West Africans will go into Chile 2015 as one of the favourites to win the trophy.
Golden Eaglets coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, have vowed his side are in for the cup.
The World Cup is a different ball game because all the 24 teams have the chance to win but we are going to Chile with the objective of defending the trophy and we are looking forward to a good tournament.” Amuneke told thenff.com
“African football is a totally different ball game. It is more rugged and sometimes the pitch condition does not help a team that likes to keep possession of the ball, for instance.
“We do well at the World Cup because the pitches help us to play much better. This happened at the 2013 tournament in the United Arab Emirates, which Nigeria won with a 3-0 victory against Mexico in the final. People could see our real quality.”
The only word to describe Nigeria’s past in the FIFA U-17 World Cup is glorious. No other country has won the tournament as often as the Golden Eaglets (four times) and only Brazil can match their seven semi-final appearances. Remarkably, the team has made it through to the decider every time they advanced to the last four. The West Africans won the inaugural competition in China PR in 1985 and added titles in 1993, 2007 and last time out. They lost the 1987, 2001 and 2009 finals. The only time they qualified for the global event but failed to progress out of the group stage was in 2003, when they were denied a place in the last eight by the drawing of lots after finishing equal on points, goals and goal difference with Costa Rica.
As overwhelming pre-tournament favourites the Golden Eaglets had an easy passage into the last four at the African championships, thereby booking their place in Chile 2015. Victories over hosts Niger (2-0) and Zambia (3-1) and a 1-1 draw against Guinea saw them top the group. However, in the semi-finals, an impressive South African team, who grabbed a first-half goal and then held on to their win, stunned the West African side. And though Nigeria lost the play-off for third place against Guinea 3-1, coach Emmanuel Amuneke said they had achieved their objective and would expect to be at their best in the world finals.
The Golden Eaglets have recorded more success on the global stage than in Africa. It is not something that surprises Amuneke, who says that the conditions at the World Cup are more suitable to his side but has naturally been focused on his young team.
“For us to be champions of the world, we have to prepare very well. We have been trying to correct some of the mistakes and lapses we noticed in Niger.”
Key players to watch
Kelechi Nwakali, Victor Osimhen, Ebere Osinachi, Samuel Chukwueze.
Anthony Nlebem
