By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Calabar
Assistant Coach of the U-!7 football team, Emmanuel Amuneke has commended the Golden Eaglets for walloping Diamond Stars Academy FC, winners of 2010 Governor’s cup in cross River State  5-1 in a friendly at St Patrick College, Ikot Ansa, Calabar.

The national U-17 team is currently camped in Calabar ahead of the 2013 CAF Under-17 qualifier against Niger Republic in September this year.

The friendly match against Diamond Stars was Eaglets first training match since resumption last week in Calabar for their second-closed camping.

Speaking after the encounter, Amuneke said, “It is about time the players began to assume responsibilities on the pitch and we are encouraged that they are executing some of the things we are teaching them.

“This is our first game but the players are gradually getting back into their groove which is a good thing to see.”

Kelechi Iheanacho, one of the graduates from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) model National Under-13 team, was easily the man-of-the-match played under the rain.

Iheanacho combined beautifully with Isaac Success in the attack as the Eaglets sought for their opening goal.

Success gave Iheanacho a good pass and the latter promptly delivered a half volley shot that rebounded off Nsima Abasi in goal for Diamond Stars and Ifeanyi Matthew, who was in the area slotted in the Eaglets’ opening goal in the 12th minute.

Success was fouled on the edge of the box and Ahmed Umar stepped forward and struck a shot into the net for the team’s second goal.

Diamond Stars fought back and took over the midfield with the duo of Esu Archibong and Charity Ufot running rings around the Eaglets’ defence and their efforts were rewarded when Peter Hen headed the ball into the net off a corner kick in the 41st minute.

During the second half, Diamond Stars squandered the opportunity of scoring an equalizer almost immediately as it lost the penalty.

The National Under -17 team showed their superiority with three more goals when defender Wilfred Ndidi headed home a pin-point corner kick from Iheanacho in the 57th minute, while Success scored the fourth when he evaded his markers following a pass from Friday Njengo in the 60th minute.

Both Gilmond Lukman of Stoke City and Oluwaseun Jegede of Aspire Academy in Qatar came as replacements for Umar and Iheanacho respectively in the dying minutes of the second half.

But Jegede would not allow any opportunity to slip by as he scrambled the ball into the net few minutes towards regulation time to end the match 5-1 in favour of Golden Eaglets.