U-17 World Cup: Eaglets star talks tough ahead of q-finals cracker
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will not succumb easily and they are ready to fight to the end against Netherlands in the Round of 16 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Brazil.
According to Eaglets skipper, Samson Tijani, the players are determined to make hay while the sunshines in the tournament.
The Nigerians with the pedigree of coming from behind to win their matches, will need to properly put on their thinking cap and find a last-minute solution to the porous defence.
Two matches, two deficits. They were staring at defeat with less than fifteen minutes to go on both occasions. And on each, the Africans produced stirring comebacks.
Against Hungary, the Eaglets captain was the primary difference-maker, netting Nigeria’s first and last goals of a 4-2 victory, the latter coming via free-kick from 30 yards.
“We don’t relent. We don’t give up easily. We force ourselves to keep pushing until we get the win,” Tijani told FIFA.com
Another player,, Ibrahim Said embodied the motto in Nigeria’s second win, completing the only hat-trick of Brazil 2019 thus far with a pair of goals in the 85th and 89th minutes. His second was the standout, a curling, dipping golazo from outside the left edge of the box. Final score: Nigeria 3, Ecuador 2.
“In my mind, I kept thinking, ‘We should not be losing’,” said Said of the match against La Tri. “It gave me the fire to score a goal like this, along with the help from my team-mates.”
Combining the two wins that ensured their place in the knockout phase, the Golden Eaglets outscored their opponents 5-0 in the final 15 minutes of the match. For Tijani, Said and head coach Manu Garba, when it comes to this competition, Nigeria are special.
“The will to win every game is part of the DNA of every Nigerian team, and my team here in Brazil is no exception,” Garba said before the tournament began.
“It gives us more confidence to push harder, knowing what our country has worked for and that they are behind us,” Tijani said. “So we’ll keep pushing.”
The Nigerians have drawn a formidable opponent in the Round of 16 – one that pulled off a different kind of comeback to reach this stage. The Netherlands lost their first two matches in Brazil by a combined score of 6-1. Down but far from out, the European champions pummelled USA 4-0 in their final group fixture to burst through.
The Dutch will be coming off their best performance of the tournament when the two sides meet on Tuesday. Nigeria, meanwhile, fell 2-1 to Australia in the their Group B closer. The faith of the Golden Eaglets, however, remains unshaken.
“I know this team and these players possess the effort to keep fighting back, no matter the situation,” said Tijani.
Both of Nigeria’s last-minute triumphs came at Goiania’s Estadio Olimpico. You can guess the location of their showdown with the Oranje.
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“We want to bring this World Cup back to Nigeria,” Said said. “I want to make my country proud of the team.”