Under 15 National Team Beat Texas Academy.

The Under 15 National Team, on Tuesday  continued their preparations for the Eight-Nation Adidas U-15 Football Tournament (Mexico 2012), with a 4 -1 demolition, of Abuja based  Texas Football Academy, in a friendly match played at the FIFA Goal Project pitch of Abuja National Stadium,

The coach Danladi Nasidi-led side dominated the encounter which was watched by an appreciable crowed and opened scoring in the 30^th minute when whiz kid, Ekene Nwuka capitalized on a defensive blunder by Texas to sneak in the first goal with a cool one on one finish, from the right hand side of the visiting team’s goal post.

Two minutes later, U-15 National Team’s goalkeeper, Sogo Alaofin launched a quick counter which found gangling striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who bullied his way through two defenders to lob the onrushing Texas goalkeeper, for the second goal of the encounter and also his second in as many matches for the team.

The score line stood at 2 – 0 at half time and both teams made as many as five changes. On resumption for the second 45 minutes, the visiting team put up a better display than they did in the first half, winning corner kicks and free kicks, which they failed to convert. The national team however extended their lead to three, 15 minutes into the second half, when substitute Ahmed Mohammed outpaced two defenders to fire to the left hand corner of the opposition’s net.

Texas however got a consolatory goal in the 78^th minute of the match when striker David Okon converted a penalty which was awarded as a result of a foul committed by Philip Samson in his 18 yard box. The national team then put the icing on the cake two minutes to the end of the match, when Abubakar Ibrahim scrambled the ball into the net after Texas defense failed to clear their line, following a corner kick.

Coach of the visiting team, coach Glory Akinnoment, said he was satisfied with the experience his boys gathered from the match.

“It’s a very good experience, we have been expecting an opportunity to play the national team, we are happy because we have learnt a lot from the match and for the national team boys, they are simply amazing, because I saw a very good job that is being done for now, there is a good team work, the boys are so agile and fast on the ground, and I think they will do well in Mexico.”

Meanwhile, the U-15 National Team’s supervising officer, Coach Siji Lagunju, of the NFF Technical Department, said his team still needs more time to prepare, before they will be ready for the tournament coming up in June.

“We played well, but there are still some things we need to correct, I just wish we had more time to train them so that they’ll be a near perfect team, the opposition today were bigger boys, stronger boys and they played well also, it was a fair game irrespective of the result.”

The U-15 National Team remains unbeaten in over 16 training matches played at the FIFA Technical Centre, Abuja, and their victims include the Senior Women National Team, the Super Falcons, Falconets as well as the Flamingos.