Calabar – Nigerian Golden Eaglets on Saturday at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar, defeated Gabon 5-0 to qualify for the 2015 Confederation of African Football (CAF) U-17 Championship holding in Niger Republic.
The match was the second leg qualifying match, as Nigeria lost 1-2 in the first leg played in Libreville a fortnight ago.
The team thus qualified on 6-2 aggregate score line.
Captain Kelechi Nwakali put the Eaglets ahead in the 20th minute through a spot kick after the Gabonese goalkeeper, William Alin, brought down Kingsley Dogo in the 18 yard box.
The goal spurred the Eaglets to action, and this resulted in the second and third goals by Ebere Osinachi in the 35th and 43rd minutes respectively.
The Gabonese came out stronger in the second half putting pressure on the Eaglets but poor finishing robbed them of goals.
Kehinde Ayinde sealed the hope of the Gabonese through a brace in the 65th and 75th minutes to make it a historic 5-0 win for the reigning world champions.
Coach Emmanuel Amuneke told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), after the match, that the team would proceed on a short break before the tournament proper in Niger Republic.
He expressed satisfaction with the result and promised to work on the lapses noticed in the team before the championship.
“Now that we have qualified, everybody will now go home and meet their loved ones; after that, we will come back and begin the preparations for the championship
“I thank the Cross River Government for its support and Calabar fans for being there for us always,” he said.
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