By Dorcas Francis Koji
Five-time world champions, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, continued their preparations for the upcoming WAFU-B U-17 Championship with a convincing 4-0 victory over Simonben Academy at the FIFA Goal Project pitch inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, on Saturday.
The Eaglets dominated proceedings against the Kaduna-based academy and created several opportunities in the opening half, but could only find the back of the net once before the interval.
Despite their dominance, Nigeria were unable to convert a number of chances as Simonben Academy offered some resistance and kept the scoreline respectable heading into the break.
The second half, however, was a different story.
The Golden Eaglets, coached by Eboboritse Uwejamomere, stepped up the pressure after the restart and eventually broke down their opponents’ resistance.
Three more goals followed as Nigeria took complete control of the encounter and secured an emphatic 4-0 victory.
Later the same day, the young Nigerians returned to the same venue for another friendly, this time against Abuja-based Galadima FC.
Unlike their earlier fixture, the Eaglets struggled to find a breakthrough against a stubborn Galadima side.
Nigeria created opportunities but were unable to convert them, while Galadima FC defended resolutely to frustrate the five-time world champions.
After 90 minutes, neither side could find the decisive goal as the encounter ended in a goalless draw.
The two friendly matches provided Coach Uwejamomere with another opportunity to assess his players and fine-tune his squad ahead of the WAFU-B U-17 Championship.
The Golden Eaglets will be hoping to build on their preparations and arrive at the regional tournament in strong form as they seek to secure qualification for the next stage of the African U-17 competition.
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