Lagos fans hold the key, says Obuh

Nigeria’s U-17 Head Coach, Sam John Obuh, has urged the people of Lagos State to turn out en masse at the Teslim Balogun Stadium to cheer the Golden Eaglets as they seek a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup final. Obuh believes the inspiration for the boys to pick a ticket for the finals place when they play Spain on Thursday lies largely in the hands of their Lagos fans.

“Support will be very important for us in Lagos against Spain. Spain is a very good team and they have the ability to turn a game on its head, but we will see how we tur n it before them,” said Obuh after his boys trounced Korea Republic 3-1 in Calabar on Monday night to earn a place in the semi-finals.

Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, is also the nation’s most populous city.

Until 1992, it was the administrative capital, and all major football matches involving Nigeria were staged in the city until earlier this decade. But the National Stadium, Abuja, has taken over and it is only the advent of the Teslim Balogun Stadium that has brought Lagos back to the fore and a possible return of some international action to the bustling city.

“The people of Lagos know how to support, just like people in other parts of the country, he added. “We love them all, and we will continue to do our best until we retain the trophy.”

Colombia and Switzerland play the first semi-final match starting from 4pm before the floodlit second semi-final involving the cup holders and hosts. The match is a repeat of the 2007 final, which Nigeria won on penalties after both teams finished 0-0 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Spain is Eaglets final

Former Super Eagles midfielders, Etim Esin and Thompson Oliha, have said the Golden Eaglets semi-final match is a big hurdle the team must cross to pick the trophy for a record four times.

Esin, who was a part of the Nigerian team to the 1987 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, said: “with the confidence the boys have displayed so far in the competition, getting the trophy is a possibility. But their biggest challenge is Spain. Colombia and Switzerland, have what it takes to get to the finals but I don’t see them beating (the) Eaglets.”

Final before final

The erstwhile midfielder called the clash “finals before the finals,” adding that the Spanish teenage side will go all out to punish Nigeria for beating them to the gold at the finals of the last edition of the bi-annual championship.

“I don’t see the match getting to penalties. In Korea [2007], the Eaglets got the better of Spain in the finals on penalty shoot out,” he said. “With what we saw them play against Uruguay, I’m sure they will try to finish off our boys within the 90 minutes.”

In an act of comradeship, Oliha, who played alongside Esin in Chile but was forced to retire at the age of 27 as a result of a serious knee injury in 1994, noted that only pride and over-confidence can stop the Eaglets against Spain.

“Apart from the first two matches where it seems the boys were not sure of what they were doing on the pitch, they have performed excellently in subsequent games and that may be their undoing,” Oliha said. “To avoid defeat, our boys must score as many goals as possible, forget their previous victories and concentrate on the match.”

He added that the Spanish teenagers will be tough opposition saying “they have been runner-up three times and are tired of it. If they defeat us they are sure to beat whoever make it between the other two.”

So far so good

Also, Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju has said Nigerians can now begin to hope for the best from John Obuh’s boys.

Adepoju, who currently serves as the General Manager of Shooting Stars Club of Ibadan said, “You know before, many people thought that the team did not have anything to offer, and that they will not get this far but for a team that has now gotten to the semi-finals, I think we can now begin to hope for the best. I’m happy about their performance because they’ve moved from a stage of doubt to hope and God willing, I will be in Lagos to watch the match.”

Adepoju, who was fondly referred to as the “headmaster” during his playing days has warned that Gines Melendez’s lads will be going for the jugular of the host nation.

“You know we defeated Spain in the finals of the 2007 edition of the U-17 World Cup so they will now be hoping to take their revenge against us,” he said. “Spain is one of the toughest teams in this tournament so our boys have to be very careful.

“I would have preferred if they met Spain in the finals, not now, because that will be so interesting. However, they (the Eaglets) should try as much as possible to avoid long range shots and also ensure that they do not give the Spaniards any space.”