Sports
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THE Flying Eagles of Nigeria has won the seventh African Youth Championship trophy on Sunday, March 22, in Dakar, Senegal. The team won by scored the host nation, Senegal 1-0. This will make it the seventh time the country has won the championship, having clinched the trophy in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005 and 2011.
Both teams started the game brightly with Senegal stepping up the pressure after some time. Nigeria, however, took the lead after 18 minutes of play when Man of the Final match Bernard Bulbwa fired home a beauty of a volley from the top of the box to pass the stranded Ibrahima Sy, goalkeeper.
The Senegalese team got the best chance in the first half when goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo had to save virtually off the feet of Eld Hadj Niang right inside his six-yard box.
Sidy Sarr threatened the Nigerian goal in the 20th minute and in the 35th minute Moussa Kone fired from the edge of the box, but it missed its mark. Kone will also see his header come off the post five minutes from the interval.
In the 47th minute, tipped away for corner a shot from skipper Roger Gomis from just outside the box as Senegal continued to press for the equaliser. ‘Muazam’ Ibrahim Alhassan replaced the injured Obinna Nwobodo in the 56th minute. In the 58th minute, desperate clearance off the goalline denied ‘Muazam’ to double the Flying Eagles lead. Also, Enaholo’s indecisiveness almost gave Senegal a chance to get back into the game, but again poor finishing ensured it did not.
Sy in the 75th minute was alert to save off the feet of Taiwo Awoniyi as the game swung from one end of the pitch to the other. He pulled off the save of the day in the 87th minute, when he kept out a goal-bound shot by Ifeanyi Matthew.
— Mar. 30, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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Tags: African Youth Championship Bernard Bulbwa Eld Hadj Niang Flying Eagles Ibrahim Alhassan Ibrahima Sy Ifeanyi Matthew Joshua Enaholo Moussa Kone Obinna Nwobodo Roger Gomis Sidy Sarr Taiwo Awoniyi
