Flying Eagles Qualify For 2015 AYC After Lesotho Walkover

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles on Saturday qualified for the 2015 African Youth Championship after they walked over Lesotho in Kaduna.

Match officials insisted till the last minute that they have not received any official notification that the first leg final qualifier has been called off after Lesotho expressed concerns over the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria.

They therefore went through the traditional walkover ceremony that involved a 15-minute wait after the referee’s kick-off whistle.

Nigeria will thus join seven other countries including hosts Senegal for the 2015 AYC from March 8.

“Congratulations Nigeria on this qualification,” saluted Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba.

“We trained very hard in the last two months for this match and we would really have been a lot happier had we qualified for the AYC on the pitch and not in the boardroom.

“It was a bit of a disappointment that Lesotho failed to turn up, but there was nothing we could have done about that.”

Manu said the team will now decamp and regroup in time for the tournament proper.

The Flying Eagles therefore walloped Kaduna United second team 6-0 in a test game at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.

Skipper Musa Muhammed and Sulaiman Abdullahi scored a brace each with Taiwo Awoniyi and Ifeanyi Matthew also getting on the scoreboard.

After near misses by Awoniyi, Alhassan Ibrahim aka Muazam and Abdullahi Alfa, whose shot in the 18^th minute crashed against the crossbar, the Nigeria U20s took the lead in the 21^st minute from the penalty spot taken by Muhammed after goal-bound Awoniyi was felled inside the box.

Muhammed doubled the lead seven minutes later when he cut through from the right flank before he fired home a tight angle.

In the 31^st minute Awoniyi rounded the Kaduna United goalkeeper to make it 3-0.

And eight minutes later, Ifeanyi Matthew slotted home another spot kick after Awoniyi was brought down and the goalkeeper was sent off.

Substitute striker Sulaiman Abdullahi scored twice in the 49^th and 86^th minutes after the Flying Eagles fluffed numerous chances.