The Flying Eagles may now be just a game away from qualifying for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, but the team have struggled to impress since they won their opening group game against Tunisia.
In their second Group B match against the Young Atlas Lions from Morocco, coach Aliyu Zubairu rang two changes including dropping star striker Kparobo Arierhi for Hoffenheim youngster Precious Benjamin.
The Flying Eagles salvaged a scoreless draw with an injury-hit Moroccan side to stay on course for a place in the quarterfinal.
The seven-time African champions were then widely expected to beat the Rising Stars of Kenya in their final group game, but they must count themselves lucky again that they secured another draw to finish runners-up in Group B.
Coach Zubairu made three changes to his Starting XI including re-instating Kparobo for Benjamin, who was far and away the team’s most dangerous threat at goal against the Moroccans.
The coach has maintained his back four led by captain Daniel Bameyi, but he has chopped and changed both in midfield and attack to give the impression he still does not know his best team.
The Kenyans exposed the weaknesses in the Flying Eagles, but for inexperience at this level would have recorded their first-ever victory in this competition.
Since the Tunisia game, the Flying Eagles have been lost in midfield after Caleb Ochedikwu was dropped for the more experienced Israel Ayuma.
Despite being one of the handful of foreign pros at last year’s WAFU B qualifiers, Ayuma failed to show up even though he enjoyed much game time and the full confidence of the coach.
Even though he provided an assist for the first equaliser, former Golden Eaglets captain Simon Cletus was the missing link in midfield as the East Africans bulldozed their way to goal.
It was an experiment by the coach that almost went horribly wrong.
The team maintained the strike force of wingers Bidemi Amole, Clinton Jeptha along with striker Kparobo Arierhi that won them the WAFU championship in the opening game against Tunisia.
Truth be told a lot has been expected of Amole, but he has struggled for form.
However, his replacements Mendos Rickson and Anthony Kpangu have also been average.
Against defending champions Senegal Monday afternoon in Ismailia, coach Zubairu has to line up his best team because it is a winner-takes-it-all match, while the losers fly back home.
There will be no room for the experiments we saw against both Morocco and Kenya.
Nigeria will also want to avenge the opening game loss they suffered at the hands of their West African rivals two years ago also in Egypt and of added significance is that the ticket to the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile is at stake.
