Flying Eagles thrash Cosmos FC in friendly

Nigeria’s U-20 men’s national team, the Flying Eagles, on Saturday beat Cosmos FC 4-2 in a friendly match in preparation for the WAFU B U20 championship slated for Niamey, Niger Republic.

The match played at the FIFA Goal project pitch, package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, was the first friendly for the Ladan Bosso tutored boys.

The Flying Eagles started brightly with a 2-1 lead in the first half before dismantling their opponent in the second half with two more goals to make it 4-1.

The goals were scored by Aminu Mohammed, Aliyu Abdullahi, Ahmed Abdullahi and Adams Yakubu.

Flying Eagles coach, Ladan Bosso, said after the match that the technical crew would continue to fine tune its strategy before the tournament.

“I was impressed by the boys because this is our first match; we will keep getting better and ensure we are ready before the tournament,” he said.

The team is expected to engage in a series of friendly matches before the tournament in May.

The biannual WAFU tournament, which serves as qualification for the U-20 AFCON in Egypt, 2023, would hold from May 7 to May 20 in Niamey.

The Flying Eagles, seven-time African champions are in Group B alongside perennial rivals Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Hosts Niger Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin Republic will do battle in Group A.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi finals of the competition and only the two finalists would qualify for Egypt.

PUNCH/Nnenna.O