Eaglets beat Gabon 5-0, qualify for Niger 2015

Taiwo Adelu

Nigeria’s Under-17 side, Golden Eaglets, on Saturday thrashed Gabon 5-0 at the U. J. Esuene Sports Stadium in Calabar in the second leg-final qualifier of the African Championship.

The win gave the Emmanuel Amuneke-tutored side a 6-2 aggregate win after they lost 2-1 in Libreville a fortnight ago and a ticket to next year’s championship to be hosted in Niger between 15 February and 1 March.

Among the goals for Nigeria on Saturday were the duo of Ebere Osinachi and Kehinde Ayinde who scored a brace each after Captain Kelechi Nwakali had grabbed the curtain raiser through a penalty.

Nigeria started the game cautiously as the Gabonese soaked the initial pressure but it was not long before the visitors were put in real danger when Suleiman Abdullahi sprinted and waltzed through the right wing. He then passed the ball to Kingsley Michael only to be brought down in the box by Gabonese goalkeeper Noubi Fotso.

Captain Kelechi Nwakali scored the resultant penalty kick as he sent Fotso the wrong way for Nigeria’s first goal in the 19th minute.

Eleven minutes later, the second goal arrived after good work from the right flank by Samuel Chukwueze’s whose pull out found Osinachi. The forward wasted no time before firing the ball into the net.

On the other end, Golden Eaglets’ goalkeeper, Akpan Udoh stopped the visitors’ first real chance as he parried Presley Babini Bouyi’s goal-bound ball in the 37th minute.

Five minutes later, it was a combination of Chukwueze and Osinachi that resulted in the third goal when the latter went on a solo run after a pass from the former before shooting an angular shot beyond Fotso to ensure the Golden Eaglets ended the first half on a positive note.

The Eaglets continued their domination at the restart but were lucky not to have conceded a goal in the 50th minute when Banini Bouyi’s incisive shot hit the post even while Akpan was rooted to the spot.

Chukwueze could have capped his fine performance with a goal in the 80th minute but he shot straight over the bar after waltzing his way into the Gabonese post. But Kehinde Ayinde who came in for injured Michael, grabbed Nigeria’s fourth goal and fifth goal in the 78th minute and 90th minute to the delight of everyone at the U.J Esuene Stadium in Calabar.