Connect with us

National Team News

U-17 AFCON: Golden Eaglets focused on World Cup ticket – Ugbade

Published

on

GOLDEN EAGLETS

Nigeria`s Golden Eaglets will on Thursday face Burkina Faso in the quater-final of the 2023 U-17 AFCON a game the Eaglets Head Coach Nduka Ugbade believes his boys are focused on winning to seal a World Cup ticket.

Nigeria finished second in group B while a 2-1 win over Cameroon sealed a last-8 meeting between the best two in WAFU B

A rematch of the WAFU B final in 2022, Ugbade is confident the lessons from the group stage will cpme good for his boys at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.

Ugbade said ” “We had an interesting match with South Africa and it has prepared us well for further challenges in the competition. We learnt a lot playing Zambia, Morocco and South Africa – all strong teams – in the group phase and that was good furnace for us to be a better squad.

“The quarter-final matches will be very hard nuts to crack because that is the step that earns you the World Cup ticket. None of the four games will be easy. Our interest is Burkina Faso and we are working hard towards achieving success.”

“We have not come this far to drop out. My boys are focused hard on the World Cup ticket. After that, we can then focus on other objectives” he added.

Kick-off for the quater-final match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso is 8pm on Thursday May 11, 2023 at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Flying Eagles

Nnadi Tochukwu: Flying Eagles Star Thrilled To Play A Role In the Team Historic Victory

Published

on

Current FIFA Under-20 revelation, Nnadi Tochukwu, has expressed his delight playing a role in the Nigeria Flying Eagles historic win over Argentina in the round of 16 of the tourney.

Unarguably one of the dominant and influential player on the pitchin the keenly contested fixture, the energetic midfielder was outstanding for the Coach Ladan Bosso tutored side.

In post match reaction with renowned Nigerian Journalist, Nwosu CHIGOZIE, the Botev Plovdiv midfield maestro was thrilled with the hard fought win as he restated the team being focused on its next outing.

“We came into the game as Underdogs but we fought our way through to eliminate the host nation, that’s a big feat”

“We played according to instructions and we had everything worked out for us because we played for one another “

“Hard-work I can say gave us the victory and we have shifted our focus to the next game because we know it’s not yet UHURU”

Listed amongst the foreign pros, the sensational midfielder has gone ahead to justify his inclusion as he has solidified and given the team the much needed stability in the middle of the park.

Continue Reading

Flying Eagles

Ogwuche Abel Heroics Earns Nigeria Flying Eagles Another Clean-Sheet And A Win

Published

on

Trelleborgs FF youngster , Abel Ogwuche, was in his usual calm and calculating element as he ranks as one of the critical player in the Nigeria Flying Eagles team which earned the team a deserving win against Argentina in the current FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The 19-year-old Trelleborgs FF defender was a key player in the heart of the Flying Eagles backline, putting his body on the line to ensure a win and a clean sheet.

On numerous occasions, Abel Ogwuche, used his bullish nature and athleticism to cover up the defensive lapses of the Flying Eagles team and never for a second lost concentration.

Commanding the backline expertly, the center-back acted as a coverage for every of the team defenders and was hard to be eliminated on 1v1 situations.

The last stray which portrayed the sensational teenager as a top defender was his ability to his body to shield a goal bound effort into a corner kick.

The Trelleborgs FF defender was a pillar to reckon with in the Flying Eagles defensive set-up which gifted the team a win and a clean sheet.

Continue Reading

Flying Eagles

Abel Ogwuche: The Promising And Fast-Rising Rock Solid Defender

Published

on

Defenders in the game of football are often saddle with the responsibility of ensuring a clean-sheet at the backline and goal scoring is often seen as a plus for any defender.

After the tough defensive pairs in the Nigeria Super Eagles, the current Eagles team are yet to discover a pair which can be described as an effective and excellent pairing.

The current FIFA Under-20 World Cup has restored hopes in some positions following the outstanding performances of these youngsters who has been pivotal to the success enjoyed by the team.

One promising talent who has distinguished himself as a future star is Trelleborgs FF youngster Abel Ogwuche.

The unheralded defender came into the Flying Eagles squad as one of the foreign pros and has gone ahead to justify his inclusion in the team.

Amongst to mention is the highly promising youngster heroics which earned the team a win and a clean-sheet against host Nation, Argentina.

For Nigerian based Journalist, Nwosu CHIGOZIE, here are some qualities which justifies the youngster as a top level defender.

Seen the young lad play on numerous occasions from the center back position, Abel covers depth in standard situations with ease, constantly manipulating his defensive positioning in slight ways to the tune of his surroundings. His ability to do this comes from reaction speeds that make his deliberate movements look more like reflexive actions.
Abel’ keen eye and quick executions make him an excellent disruptor of combination play in zone 14 — the dangerous central area outside of the box.

An average defender simply doesn’t possess such timing in the tackle or the finesse to poke the ball away from behind an attacker without fouling.
Of course, Ogwuche is also strong in one-versus-one situations, too, something he displayed against Argentina.

But, most eye-catching of all, was Abel Ogwuche continual decision to step out of his defensive line to close down attackers in space.

This is a signature part of his game and puts on show his world class aggression, speed, physicality, sense of timing, and tackling ability.

Ogwuche Abel is dominant aerially; he makes use of the leaping ability, physicality, and heading technique that makes him such a threat on set-pieces to outmatch forwards in the air.

He is also an extremely good passer and possesses world class press resistance, which greatly enhances a player’s defensive value given the pressing-focused nature of the modern game.

With signing up with one of World best talent management group, the Players Management Group added by renowned Agent, Attah Aneke, the sensational youngster is on his way to a more big stage if he keep cool head and keeps developing.

Continue Reading

Trending