OCTOBER 17: Team members of Nigeria celebrate their opening goal during the FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup 2015 group A match between Nigeria and USA at Estadio Nacional de Chile on October 17, 2015 in Santiago, Chile. FIFA
Lagos – Some stakeholders and supporters of the Golden Eaglets on Sunday commended the nation’s U-17 team for their 2-0 win over USA in Chile.
In interviews in Lagos, they urged the Eaglets to focus on the remaining matches in the group and strive to bring back the trophy.
Eaglets on Saturday defeated USA as they began their defence of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, while Guinea opened with a 1-1 draw against England.
The Eaglets’ win was their first match in Group A which also has the host, Chile, and Croatia.
In his reaction, Paul Hamilton, a former coach of Super Eagles, urged the team to remain focused on the task at hand to retain their crown.
He urged the players not to allow the euphoria of the first match to derail them.
“It is a great result and opener for the boys, it will help them to build confidence.
“But, they must concentrate on winning the remaining group matches to enable them to go further in the tournament,’’ Hamilton said.
Also, Tunde Badejo, a banker and Golden Eaglets supporter, said that he was impressed with the U-17 team’s performance against USA.
He prayed that the team would sustain the momentum with more wins and reclaim their title.
“Although, they have a tough group, I believe if they can concentrate, they will really go further in the tournament,’’ Badejo said.
In his reaction, Bright Omokaro, a former Super Eagles defender, said he was happy about the performance of the U-17 team, urging them to focus on their subsequent matches.
“When the going is good, we are all happy; football is the only thing that keeps we Nigerians happy, so I hope they will win their coming matches,’’ Omokaro said.
Also commenting, Nkechi Iwenofor, a business woman and football fan, said she was happy with the boys’ win against USA and advised them to win other matches.
“I am happy that we won the match against US; it was a good performance, but they must win other matches to win the title again,’’ Iwenofor said.
The U-17 team will face hosts Chile on Tuesday in their second tie.
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