Eaglets go hunting for fourth title

The Coach Manu Garba led team will aim to start the championship on a winning note because a convincing outing will certainly boost the confidence level of the team ahead of the remaining Group F matches against Sweden and Iraq.Although the team was widely tipped to conquer the continent of Africa, the Eaglets emerged runners […]

The Coach Manu Garba led team will aim to start the championship on a winning note because a convincing outing will certainly boost the confidence level of the team ahead of the remaining Group F matches against Sweden and Iraq.
Although the team was widely tipped to conquer the continent of Africa, the Eaglets emerged runners up in the Africa Championship in Morocco due to what most analysts have tagged over confidence. The Eaglets lost to the Junior Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in resultant penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.
As they take to the field today, the Golden Eaglets would have one thing at the back of their mind- repeat the feat achieved by their predecessors in 1985, 1993 and 2007. It is on record that the Eaglets of Nigeria won the maiden edition of the competition in 1985 in China, clinched their second title in 1993 in Japan and were champions again in 2007 in South Korea. 
Statistics have therefore shown that Nigeria is the most successful country in the competition. The Eaglets have appeared six times, winning three times and emerging runners up on three occasions. Nigeria was second best in 1987 in Scotland, 2001 in Trinidad and Tobago and 2009 here in Nigeria.
Nigeria shares the record of three titles with Brazil and a fourth title in the UAE will further confirm buttress the fact that the country is indeed the most successful in the cadet championship. However, to achieve this, the Eaglets must first overcome Mexico, Sweden and Iraq in Group F.
For those who have followed the team’s build up to the ongoing championship, these are Eaglets of hope. It is said the future of the country’s football at the senior level depends on the budding talents that abound in the present squad.
Smarting from ugly incidences in the past which smeared the image of the country, Nigeria football authorities are said to have done their best to do away with age falsification. It is said the team is built around players in secondary schools and football academies around the country.
Even as they faltered at the Africa Championship, the Eaglets qualified for the competition in grand style. They won all matches with impressive score lines. Most analysts believe they got carried away by those strings of good results and that affected their performance in Morocco.
Yet the Eaglets showed class in Morocco scoring 18 goals in five matches with the team’s marksman Success Isaac scoring seven goals. His strike partner, Kelechi Iheanachi also scored five times to send a warning to opposing defenders.
Going into the 2013 FIFA U-17 as Africa’s second best team is believed to be a good omen for the Manu Garba team. Today’s match against Mexico is going to be difficult but it is an opportunity for the boys to prove to all that they have learnt from their past mistakes.
As attention of international football fans shifts to the United Arab Emirates for the next three weeks, it is a golden opportunity for the next generation of Nigeria’s football stars to emerge. In the past talented players like Kanu Nwankwo, Haruna Lukeman, Nduka Ugbade, Celestine Babayaro, Wilson Oruma, Chinedu Obasi, Mikel Obi, Victor Ikpeba, Femi Opabunmi, Jonathan Akpoborie and a host of others rose through the ranks to play for the senior national team, the Super Eagles.
Just as Japan 1993 brought forth stars like Kanu Nwankwo, Wilson Oruma and Celestine Babayaro, UAE 2013 offers budding talents like Success Isaac, Kelechi Iheanachi, Musa Mohammed, Chidibere Nwakali, Baba Salihu, Habeeb Makanjuola and Chidera Eze a golden opportunity to prove that they are indeed the future Super Eagles.
Even as the Golden Eaglets are looking good to clinch a fourth title,  Hosts UAE have Mexico on their minds as well, as they look to emulate El Tri by becoming only the second team to win the tournament as hosts.
Argentina will also be aiming high in a tournament that has been one of their greatest frustrations over the years – the proud footballing nation failing to carry home the cup in 12 attempts. They have achieved a tournament-best third place on three occasions, the last time coming a decade ago, and the South American champions will be giving their all in order to complete their collection of silverware.
Italy are also looking for their first title. Their morale is sure to be high after reaching the final of the UEFA U-17 Championship in May, where they were defeated by a Russian side that will be keen to repeat their continental feat on the world stage here in the Gulf.
With former champions Ghana, France and Switzerland not making the cut, and traditionally strong sides like Spain and Germany out of the running, the time is ripe for the tournament debutants to prove their worth. Newcomers such as Iraq, Morocco, Venezuela and Sweden could find themselves making history if they manage to reprise the heroics of the former USSR and Switzerland, both of whom won the title at the first time of asking in 1987 and 2009 respectively.