HEAD Coach of the Nigeria U-20, Coach Emmanuel Amuneke
has finally pruned the number of players in camp to 31 after Saturday's
friendly match with Nigeria National League side, Supreme Court FC.
The match ended 1-0 in favour of the Flying Eagles but it
also afforded the technical crew an opportunity to further assess the ability
of the fringe players ahead of the May 22, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
qualifier with Burundi in Bujumbura.
Midfielder Kingsley Michael scored from the penalty spot
in the 65th minute for the only goal of the match that is the fifth in a series
of games played so far by the U-20 boys.
On Saturday, Amuneke fielded a completely new team
against Supreme Court FC but was left disappointed at half time as the Flying
Eagles failed to exhibit what they have learnt in over three weeks of intensive
training. The second stanza saw the introduction of ten new players as the U-20
boys began to dominate play, leading to a 65th minute penalty converted by
Michael.
With twenty minutes left on the clock, the coaches
introduced star players Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze to further pile
pressure on the Abuja based team but their effort did not add to the scoreline
as the match ended 1-0 at full time. Amuneke thanked the dropped players for
their perseverance and endurance during the screening and advised them to stay
fit as their services may still be required in the near future.
One more player will be dropped next week to further
reduce the number in camp to thirty. The Flying Eagles have so far played five
matches, including defeating Sia-One Academy 4-1, Dabo Babes 5-0, Ace FC of
Kaduna 6-2 and drawing 0-0 with Dreams FC of Makurdi.
Nigeria must beat Burundi over two legs to advance to the
final round of the qualifiers in July this year.
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