Golden Eaglets Ibraheem Jabaar won the man of the match award in the Nigerian team’s 1-1 draw against Uganda at the Chamazi Stadium – a Group A match of the ongoing 2019 U-17 AFCON in Tanzania, Mbagala on Saturday, Completesports.com reports.
Jabaar scored the equalising goal for Nigeria in the 73rd minute firing home beyond Uganda goalkeeper Jack Komakech after receiving a delightful pass from captain of the side Samson Tijani.
Substitute Alou John had put the Ugandans ahead four minutes earlier in the game.
He is the third Nigerian player to win a man-of-the-match award in the competition after Akinwunmi Amoo and Tijani picked the honour in Eaglets’ previous two games against hosts Tanzania and Angola respectively.
The draw against the Ugandans ensured the Golden Eaglets booked their place in the semi-finals and secured a 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup spot.
Manu Garba’s lads finished top of Group A with seven points from three games. Angola came second in the group with six points having defeated Tanzania 4-2 also on Saturday.
The two – time champions will face the second placed team in Group B in the semi-final on Wednesday at the National Stadium, Dar es Salaam.
By Adeboye Amosu
32 Comments
Good lad
Players playing with no brain. They lack ball sense, they were selected based on tribe, religion, money change hand method. They don’t follow instruction bcos their head is without brain, God help NFF from struggles.
They dont have brain, yet they qualified for the world cup while other teams crashed out. Please let’s learn how to appreciate ours. Yes,there is need for improvement, but that doesn’t mean that the performance so far was that poor.
I beg your pardon @kola,most of the boys selected are 80% yoruba’s or in other words,south West so how was the selection tribal based?
Basically, I know Manu Garba is a northerner please could you explain how this selection is based on nepotism or tribalism thanks.
Haba Oga Kolanut. Manu Garba is a northerner. He won 2013 world cup with 90 percent igbo boys. This year he is at afcon with 90 percent yoruba boys from your own tribe, if actually you are yoruba. So how does tribalism play in here. I think we should praise the coach as a national hero whether he succeeds with this team or not.
@Paschal, he is lucky that Dr Drey is not posting comments today. If not, he would not have been as kind to him as you have (but you know that already Pascal).
You know he thinks you and me are the same person!
Anyway, i think you response to our contributor above was civil and measured
Ewu Drey is the same as oakfield or you don’t know he switches hahaha happy Sunday.
@Simon, actually I think they are 2 different people.
I hope you and Oakfield can put your differences behind you because he is a cool dude.
Same as Jones.
It is that demented Dr Drey you should focus your energy on.
Hahaha if you say so. Anyway I am waiting for drey when he finish smoking is Easter Egbo. So that we can continue our politics.
Yes o
Lol@kola, abeg take am easy o….lol
Hahaha. Bro Kola, please ejekana suru si oo lol. I’m still laughing bro. God bless Nigeria!!!
How come these boys came on top of their Group with 7 points if they were as bad some folks indicated above.
Please, for once, call a spade, a spade and not a digging spoon.
@kola, pls bro be easy with them, though I feel u.Do I think tribalism and religion plays a part in selecting these boys answer is yes, but are they good enough to represent us the answer is yes.The first goalkeeper is an example of that,.But u know our country hypocrisy, lies, sentiments, incompetence, silliness, Rules.But o ye mi ooo
SOME PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS QUICK TO CONDEMN..I CANT JUST IMAGINE MR KOLA PASSING INSULT TO THESE PLAYERS AND THE TECHNICAL CREW. THERE IS NOTHING BAD IN CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BUT THEN TRYING TO BRING DOWN PEOPLE DESPITE GIVING US THEIR BEST IS UNCALLED.LOOK DEEP INTO YOUR LIFE MR KOLA ,HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU UNDER PERFOMED AND DISAPPOINTED EVEN YOURSELF ,YET LIFE GOES .PLEASE PLEASE AND PLEASE WE NIGERIANS SHOULD NOT BEEN TOO QUICK TO CONDEMN OURSELVES AND EXPECT OUTSIDERS TO COMMEND US.
The only thing this team lacks is finishing. Cos they are creating chances and getting behind defenders. If they can just keep their nerves in front of goal, I don’t see any team stopping them. We should all understand that these are kids, and we should not expect them to play like premier league teams. As the competition progresses, they will get better.
Some people use fake identity to display their self-centeredness and hatredness.This team deserves our supports not condemnation.
The players on this team are worthy champions.
I don’t really care about tribes/religion, as long as the team is doing a great job.
Congrats Garba, Ugbade and the entire team.
Future team. Please you guys should exercise patience with this boys. This is their first experience in a big stage. I suggest that NFF should organize more international competitions for this kids before the world cup and they’ll blend. They will conquer the world Once again. Congratulations again golden eaglets.
I don’t think tribe and religion played a part in the selection of the current Golden Eaglets players.
Coach Manu Garba is from the North and alot of the players in the team are from the south. Even Ibraheem Jabaar under discussion is from Osogbo. I know his coach and his grassroot team in Osogbo. His coach is called Coach Yobo. Check out, alot of the players are from the south, even the captain,Samson Tijani.
So let’s all be constructive and measured in our submissions and analyses.
I only question the players’ ages .Are they truly under 17? If the acclaimed age is real then thumb up for the lads .
This team is much, much better collection of the true Nigerian age grade team than the stitched up Under20 team of Paul Aigbogun.
This is a team you can be proud of – truly young and looking the age, skilled and exhibiting the Nigerian soccer flair and broadly representing every part of Nigeria. A real Nigerian team. Thumbs up to Manu Garba. You’re doing it again.
On a side note, this team made me reflect sadly on the current U20 team of Paul Aigbogun. I’m not sure that’s a real Nigerian team. Hardly anyone looking the age, average skilled, disjointed playing pattern and predicatable wing plays. Just some cut and sow nonsense. Lol.
I suggest after the U17 World Cup in Brazil, Garba and Ugbade should be handed the U20 team world cup tournament in Poland. I’m sure they’ll know what to do to make us happy, proud and more hopeful.
Honestly, I think it would be better to use the U17 for both the U17 and U20 world cups. That guy Paul Aigbogun no be am at all.
My brother you have said it Aigbogun is a very lazy coach. Looking for players from other National age grade instead of producing his own best NFF no try for appointing him.
‘The first man to play the tribal card is always the secret tribalist’..
This team lack coordination,mostly in the final third,finishing to be precise,but it is not unusual in this level( u-17);the good thing is they are in the world cup,and there is always room for improvement.
And about the tribal selection been painted out,I don’t think that happened in this situation,this is not Manu’s first rodeo,he has actually found some of our known stars right now before and he has never played tribal,so why start now.
Methinks,he has chosen the best he could find,(at least for him). so he deserves some slack,base on past precedence .
This team will shock negative minds and haters, I have never for once doubted Manu Garba. If other coaches I doubt not him so I stand to be corrected that the team is the best and will bring the trophy home if they can overcome self display to please scouts.
This present U17 will make the nation proud in Brazil, and i see them playing Brazil in the final.
The have good sense with the ball, pace and the ability to create good chances, mentally the will improve more, technically the also need to improve before the world cup.
My major worries lies with their finishing, the create beautiful chances, but, finds it difficult to utilize them when it matter most sometimes. And, when a good team misses too many good chances, the stand the chance of been punished by their opponents, Uganda almost prove that yesterday, but, the Eaglets were lucky to have equalize, because the Ugandans didnt close the game, the needed more goals to go through, and that helped us to equalise.
Then come the controversy that, the coach is a tribelist, well, if you want to judge by representative from tribes and region, you will want to be tempted to agree with Mr. Kola.
But, when you look at the result coming out from these selections, one will have the feel of greatness as a typical Nigerian that we are, when it comes to success in any thing we are involved in internationally.
If you follow the history of Nigeria U17 closely, you will noticed that, we have always been following the same pattern where one region churns out the bulk of player that represent the country, and which the South East is the lead actor in this. But, who cares as long as the are good and the represent the interest of Nigeria and the bring glory home.
When Amuneke took the golden Eaglets to Chile in 2015, there was a far cry from the north, and some wicked and evil Nigerians who are hell bent to make sure he fails in his quest to bring honour for Nigeria. His sin is that, the majority of his squad came from a particular region, precisely the South East region where he is from.
Some were even saying that, Manu Garba went to UAE in 2013 with players from all the regions. That, why is Amuneke doing the opposite, at the end Amuneke did something which am still waiting to see another coach to emulate.
That is the fact that, he Amuneke is the first Nigeria u17 coach to win the cup outside the Asian continent after so many attempts from previous coaches to do so . And with that fit he achieved, he succeeded in silencing his critics back home, who were waiting to feast on his failure.
My take We should support our unity in all channels, no matter the regions spearheading the affairs. Successful nations of this world give rooms to only the best no matter where the comes from. We should emulate same to continue to achieve good success.
Happy resurrection day, happy Easter dear forumites.
You are right the guys have ball sense and can not be outplayed it takes only a good team to create chances like water just like they do as we can say of Pep Guardiola led teams. Check out football of today if you are not a good coach or team your chances will be few but this team creates chances and there passing possession football is good. The only let down is the final touch to score and I feel it is because of the boys mindset of “scouts are watching me let me shine” they need to get that of their head and be themselves because if you play for scout you will fail when it matters.
Fantastic performance from the lads from the Uganda game; it was such a great blend of flair, fluid, and purpose. The boys were technically gifted and shown great team chemistry in the match they dominated in every department, apart goal scoring where the strikers failed to convert the chances they had, especially by Amao Akinwunmi. The coach might need to work on the boys finishing and conversion as we saw in the first game where they finished with 5 goals conceding 4.
On Kola’s allegation, I still wonder why a large collection of the players are from a particular region, perhaps this is policy of the NFF to promote and develop grassroot soccer in every region of the country. Something similar to this was noticed in 2013 and 2015 where majority of the players in the Manu’s u17 world cup winning side were from the North like Musa mohd, Musa Yahya, Abdullahi Alfa, Aliyu Abubakar, Zaradeen Bello with a sprinkle of talents from other regions like Iheanacho, Awoniyi, Isaac Success, Chidiebere Nwakali.
The Emmanuel Amunike u17 world cup winning side featured players predominantly from the S’East rdgion with notable names like Nwakali Kelechi, the capt of the side, Orji Okonwko, Chukwueze Samuel, Osinachi Ebere, Tochukwu Ibe.
So are you saying in Nff bid to develop football in every region,the method of doing so is to be focused on one region then another for the next world cup? If that’s the case in 2021 the focus would be the south south that’s ridiculous haha.
Expecteday,Manu’s boys are playing exciting football with little to show for it in terms of goalscoring.But they can’t be bad or average to play at the level they are playing but I believe in Brazil the boys would be ready.
Oops!expectedly
Take it or leave it, these u 17 boys are good. They play possession football, create many and many chances the way they like, full of running with or without the ball the whole 90 minutes, very fit and they out run their opponents. The only thing left for this team is for them to perfect their finishing in front of goal before the world cup and I make bold to say they will become world champions in Brazil yet again. Please Coach Manu is not tribal in his selections. His free to pick any player from any where from the four corners of our country if that player is good. They are all Nigerians. Kudos Manu. Keep it up and keep doing the good work.
This Kola is simply an idiot or perhaps he had hoped his son would be part of the group. Or he may not even be a father. At this age, those boys should be encouraged not vilified. The boys are good individually but they need to be tought how to play as a team and when that is done they will go places. Kola is only jealous his son is not there that is if he has one.