Sunday 14 October 2012

Eaglets thumps Guinea 3 - 0

Golden Eaglets on Sunday in Calabar defeated Guinea U-17 team 3-0 in a 2013 Africa U-17 Championship qualifying match. 
Success Isaac, Kelechi Iheanacho and Alhassan Ibrahim scored for the Nigerian side at the UJ Esuene Stadium. But the first 24 minutes of the tie belonged to the Guinean 16-year-old goalkeeper, Ganaika Ibrahima, who made sure the scoreline did not look like a handball result.
Ibrahima kept out goalscoring attempts from Ifeanyi Matthew, Success Isaac and Bernard Bulbwa. However in the 25th minute, Isaac opened score for Eaglets from close range after a well-threaded pass through the heart of Guinea's defence from Bulbwa. 
The Nigerian side continued to dominate as the Guineans put more men behind the ball with the substitution of striker Ibrahim Diallo for a defensive-minded Alhassane Sylla. But that did not stop the Eaglets from getting a second goal just before the break through Iheanacho.
Eaglets started the second half as they finished the first. Four minutes into the restart, Wilfred Ndidi's 45-yard effort stung Ibrahima's palms as he had to gather the ball on second attempt. The Golden Eaglets was also wasteful with their chances with Iheanacho, Bulbwa and Isaac being the main culprits. On 61 minutes, Iheanacho did a great work on the right channel before freeing up Ibrahim, who side-footed past the Guinean keeper for Nigeria's third goal from six yards.
Seven minutes later, Mustapha Abdullahi's effort from all of 45 yards caught Ibrahima out of position but grazed the cross bar to let Guinea off the hook. Both teams had to play the last quarter of the game under rainy conditions with Eaglets pressing for a fourth goal they could not get.
The game ended with Guinea virtually managing a shot on goal as it takes a three-goal disadvantage to Conakry for the return leg in a fortnight.

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