Golden Eaglets coach Nduka Ugbade has dedicated his team’s win against Zambia to members of the Chipolopolo senior men’s squad that died in an air crash in 1993.
The Eaglets got their campaign at this year’s U-17 AFCON off to a good start with a 1-0 win in Group B on Sunday.
Favour Daniel was the hero for the Eaglets as his 77th minute strike sealed the win for Nigeria.
Reflecting on the 30th anniversary of the crash, Ugbade said the Eaglets’ win is dedicated to the Zambian team that lost their lives.
On the evening of 27 April 1993, a DHC-5 Buffalo transport aircraft of the Zambian Air Force crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from Libreville, Gabon.
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The flight was carrying most of the Zambian national football team to a 1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar. All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed.
“I was a player myself back then and when I heard about the crash I was very saddened because it is a thing that doesn’t happen so often except for the natural ones.
“But that Zambia was able to raise a team after that was a very wonderful thing. So our victory is dedicated to those that died, the ones that are living and those that are representing Zambia in this competition.“
Ugbade expressed happiness that despite the difficult nature of the game, he is happy his team emerged winners.
He added: “Some of the passes that we made weren’t correct but we are talking about the youths, development is the thing we are talking about you would be expecting a lot of errors.
“But I thank God that the game was wonderful, was very difficult for us and at the end of the day we got the victory.“
“It is important you don’t lose your first match because you know youth football is ruled by psychology and not the technicalities or tactical discipline or the physical conditioning put in place for all the information that you give, it’s purely psychological.
So you can see with a lot of wrong passes and shouting on the line, this represents a going forward so that at the end of the day if we can win one more match we are guaranteed qualification to the quarter-final. And if we win the quarter-finals we qualify for the World Cup and we go ahead get into the final and if we can win that we automatically win the trophy.“
The Eaglets will be back in action on Wednesday, May 3rd when they will face Group B leaders Morocco.
The Moroccans defeated South Africa 2-0 in their group opener on Sunday.
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18 Comments
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Nice Touch Coach
Class act indeed!
Golden eaglets beautiful football has reminded us how Nigeria national teams should be playing football. It will be crazy of anyone to write of Zambia. When was the last time we defeated a top team in any of our national team talk less of Zambia???
@Chima E Samuels. It has always been the case that our under17 teams are the bed rock of the talent in this country it only becomes complicated because Nigerians NFF officials in particular seems to have amnesia to this fact. Look at it the talents like I have been saying for years that we have now in particular Osimhen Chukwueze Iheanacho you name it. Success I can go on an on these guys have not kicked a ball in our shambolic league. After this tournament if the are lucky to qualify for WC as should be the case European big wigs will snap them up early to Europe and fine tune thier skills like was the case with Iheanacho Osimhen and Co.. when players come out of NPFL they normally take like 3 or 4 years of they are dedicated and enough to rise up the ranks like etebo and co until they are noticed by doing so they are fine tuning thier skills in Europe. Our Ex Footballers get it wrong when they try to force players straight from NPFL down the coaches throat for personal interest. I am very much aware that they know that route is counter productive because as of now that league has nothing to offer the national team interms of talent. Unless we some how find gems again like we did with Enyeama and co however how did that happen they proved themselves to be so buy dominating Africa and back to back. That way creating no doubt that they were talented and demanded invite to SE because when clubs do that it means naturally there is talent in that mix. And I will always say until our players and clubs from the NPFL can do what enyeama dem did then they do not merit National invite it is only common sense however not in NiGeria.
Call out the names of players that were forced on the coach? Since you rpivy to such information
@Johnson Ahmed Musa and Bum Bum FC players. And dey dere dey do like say you nor no say nff is forcing At least 5 npfl players on the coach because of so called lack of logistics funds.
Irrespective of if that means some players will miss out on merit players who can add much needed depth to the bench.
The sports minister is behind the homebase inclusion.
The good thing is that in 4 weeks he will be leaving office as we expect the new selected government sorry i mean’t a new government.
The Sports Minister had NOTHING to do with it.
Neither did the NFF “force” 5 homebased players on the coach. It was reported that the NFF said the coach cannot call up more than 20 foreign-based players because of funds (a LEGITIMATE consideration btw), but the team cannot dress more than 18 players on match day anyway and so any players over that number are effectively training material.
That the coach elected to call up the likes of Ahmed Musa, Paul Onuachu, Etebo, etc., is his own choice and have nothing to do with the NFF (or the Sports Minister).
@9jaRealist yeah I have read the post about lack of funds,I understand what you’re saying,but I disagree.
Apparently,that was what they want you to believe.
The home base plan has been on for quite a while,there are people who were bent for spots for them for selfish reasons.They have to go through the sports minister who knows little about football to veto their agenda.The sports minister in return welcomed their plans but the manager gave it a cold shoulder resulting to a sour relationship between the football,sports ministry and the then coach Gernot Rohr.
With a new gaffer who is also a pro foreign professionals,they have to come up with something to carry out their selfish schemes.
Don’t judge a book by its cover!Be wise….
Enyeama had been called up by the SE BEFORE Enyimba won the CAF champions league, so there’s no connection between both and it should NEVER be used as a yardstick. After all, the likes of Mba, Oboabona, etc., had not won anything CAF trophies but still played key roles in the SE winning AFCON in 2013.
TEAMS, and NOT individual players, collectively win trophies in football. Accordingly, evaluate national team prospects on an INDIVIDUAL basis and not simply based on the leagues they play in – or because they happen to play in Oyibo land (even the clubless, lower division, and/or perennial benchwarmers).
Nigerian NFF is really down grading our ball by shoving talentless players from NPFL down the coaches throat. And the coach is doing himself no favour buy allowing it and also by inviting out of form players in place of inform players if he carries on like this he will be out of a job before the end of June.
Dude, there were 22 foreign-based players on the team that lost at home to Central African Republic and the team that lost 0-2 to Madagascar at AFCON. In fact, there were 20 foreign-based players on the team that recently lost at home to Guinea-Bissau. Judge players on INDIVIDUAL merit, and not where they’re based. A foreign-based player like Ahmed Musa (for example) could be based on the moon for all I care, but he is currently NOT SE quality!
The best players should be invited to the super eagles regardless where they are based rightly so,unfortunately our best players aren’t based at home.
Whether a host of foreign players loss to a minnow doesn’t change anything.Blip happens every now and again that shouldn’t be a reason to go below acceptable standards.
Why am I having feelings that this @9jaRealist is Jimmyball? What was the football Span of Oboabona and Mba? If I remember, it was Injury that stopped Leaon Balogun from going to 2014 World Cup and this is 2023 (9 Years after) and the guy is still playing for Reading in a division where Semi Ajayi, arguably the best center back we are having currently plays.
Even Mba you mentioned didn’t make it 2014 World Cup because he lost form. His best games for Nigeria were 3. Against Catalonia, Cote d Ivore and the Final that was all. In which after, he went to French 3rd ligue and disappeared. Me and you know that it was the Form of Yobo that gave Oboabona a regular playing time and after we got Ekong and Balogun back from Injury, that was the end.
Let’s face reality. Our best players are in Europe.
Meritocracy at work, nice one Ugbade
Will The Romance Between Ugbade and Nigeria Fans Stand The Test of Time?
In their curtain raiser against Zambia, the Golden Eaglets imposed their will on their opponents in the first half.
It was, for all intent and purposes, one way traffic.
But Nigeria fans should be worried. The fact that the Golden Eaglets couldn’t crown their dominance with a tiara of goals was bothersome for me.
They showed a high level of communication and coordination with their interplay of cute (but not cunning) passes that gave safe passage to Zambia’s delicate area only for the ghost of predictability to rear its ugly head.
The Golden Eaglets were somewhat predictable in the final third by overloading the right wing whence they tried but failed to open up their foes with cut backs that were cut off by Zambians.
Things didn’t improve in the second half.
The Ugandan coach made substitutions and tweaked their tactical approach which sort of had the Golden Eaglets on the ropes earlier in the second half.
Now, the early signs of fans discontent were showing as Nigeria fans following the game live were bemoaning Ugbade’s slow response to Zambian masterclass that was unfolding right before our very eyes.
Within 10 minutes of the second half, Zambia had made 3 substitutions in their pursuit of the highly prized 3 points in this group of alligators. But Ugbade folded his arms and did nothing, much to the frustration of many fans.
Against the run of play and a somewhat vindication of Ugbade’s inaction, the Eaglets took the lead from a neat buildup feather-bedded with a fine finish in 76 minutes from Daniel.
With a last throw of their dice, Zambia would make 2 further substitutions but it was us Nigeria that almost extended the lead only for Eke’s timid effort to be effortlessly gathered by the Zambian goalkeeper.
1:0 it ended.
By and large Nigeria fans appear appreciative. But we are a fickle bunch who are merely holding back the dagger at this stage.
The Golden Eaglets played well against a formidable and physical opposition. They withstood much pressure in the second half only to resurrect their campaign when it seemed to me they were releasing the last gasp of a dying man.
They look like a team that can and will improve as the tournament progresses. For the sake of their coach, I pray that will be the case.