Posted by By John Egbokhan on
As the Flying Eagles play Ukraine today in a second round tie in the Dutch town of Doetinchen, Captain Isaac Promise has insisted that fighting spirit and unity would guarantee them a place in the quarter-finals of the World Youth Championships.
As the Flying Eagles play Ukraine today in a second round tie in the Dutch town of Doetinchen, Captain Isaac Promise has insisted that fighting spirit and unity would guarantee them a place in the quarter-finals of the World Youth Championships.
The Nigerian side, runners-up in Group F, are facing an Ukrainian team, that also placed second in Group B, comprising China, Panama and Turkey. The Europeans beat Panama 3-1, lost 3-2 to China and were forced to a 2-2 draw by Turkey, while the Flying Eagles held Brazil to a barren draw, lost 2-1 in dramatic circumstances to South Korea before spanking Switzerland 3-0 in their final group match.
But today's tie against Ukraine offers fresh concerns because any slip by either side, would mark the end of the road at the youth tournament. For the Nigerian team, handled by a former Flying Eagles player Samson Siasia, lessons have already been learnt against South Korea but at the knockout stage, the prospects are much higher and the stakes bigger and complex.
The young Eagles seem to be getting into the groove, going by the way they spanked the Swiss side but against Ukraine, they are poised to face a fast and attack-minded side. Ukraine has in its squad, one 20-year-old deadly striker called Oleksandr Aliiev, who has already been spotted by FIFA as a player of great potential.
With five goals from the three group matches, Aliiev has impressed with his finishing at Netherlands 2005. The diminutive number 8, with his sharp eye for goal, combines both scoring and midfield duties. He showed his versatility in all three matches, creating chances and scoring goals to see him joint tournament top scorer with Fernando Llorente at the end of the group stage. Coach Alexei Mikhailichenko may have bemoaned his side's finishing, but he can have no complaints about Aliiev.
But the Nigeria side is unperturbed about the dangers Ukraine pose if the words of captain Isaac Promise are to be taken seriously. Promise knows that Ukraine do not have a water-tight defence, as they conceded six goals in their group matches.
'We are here to play football. I hardly noticed them (the Ukrainians). We're here to play and that's that, not to fight or make friends in the hotel", said Promise, who despite admitting that the Eagles started on a shaky note, still, insists that making Nigerians proud remains the major priority of the Flying Eagles as they battle Ukraine.
'We started a little shaky. But now we are ready to show what we can really do. Our first goal when we came here was to get out of the first round and now we can think about winning the title. I am sure we will come out victorious with God's help.
'The first thing we need to do is to make the people of Nigeria proud. We are playing for them, and they are here with us in our hearts. With their support we can do anything. We are a special team. We play with strength and fire and listen to what our coach tells us. We fight for each other and we will never stop fighting", added Promise, who said the fighting spirit and unity would be enough
With Promise and John Mikel Obi commanding things for the Eagles, coach Siasia can only wish for the best result for his promising side.