The Nigeria U20 team will today play their second group game at the ongoing U20 World Cup in Argentina when they take on Italy. They won the first game against Dominican Republic 2-1.

Italy also won their opening game 3-2 against Brazil meaning a win for either team today will see them progress to the round of 16 of the tournament with a game to spare. OwngoalNigeria.com editor in chief Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman takes a look at the things Nigeria must do to beat Italy.

1. Keep it tight at the back – The strength of the Nigerian team is the defence with only two goals conceded at the Africa Cup of Nations. From what we saw in the opening game, the Italian side can score goals so defending like they have always done should be top of their priority list going into today’s game.

2. Take their chances – One thing is certain, Italy won’t give the Nigerians the type of space they had against Dominican Republic. The Ladan Bosso led side were wasteful in that game but in game like that of today where chances will be few and limited. They have to make the most of anyone that comes their way.

3. Deny Cesare Casadei time and space- Casadei makes the Italian team ticks. The on loan Chelsea midfielder was too much for Brazil in the opening exchanges until they decided to deny him space and time by closing him up very early. Going that route saw them took control and scored twice but it was a little bit too late to wrestle anything from the game. Flying Eagles will do well by doing the same thing from the blast of the whistle.

4. Start Emmanuel Umeh – He was used as an impact player in the first game but not until his introduction the team didn’t really get going. His movement and close ball skills helped bring others into play. Handing him a start will mean pushing the Italian back from the start.

5. Jude Sunday has to make good decisions – He tormented the defence of Dominican Republic non stop. However poor decision making in key moment denied him a goal and an assist. He has to know when to shoot , pass , run or cross because he seems to be the team’s surest route to goal.

Mohammed Mowiz

In the wake of the scandal surrounding the racial abuse aimed at Real Madrid star Vinicius Jnr, the organisers of the Spanish League known as the LaLiga have published a list of abuses recorded at various grounds.

The Brazilian was subjected to racial abuse during his side’s 0-1 loss to Valencia with the fans of his opponent calling him a monkey. The issue has since gained global attention for the manner which it was handled.

Racist abuse has been a huge problem in the league and the body while rolling out measures that they have taken against such listed the banning of the fan who racially insulted Nigeria international Samuel Chukwueze.

Chukwueze while on duty for Villarreal in their 2-4 loss to Mallorca was constantly racially abused by a fan. The Nigerian scored in the game to bring scores to 2-2 before his side conceded two more goals to lose the game.

The fan in question was handed a three year ban from all football stadiums in the country by the body of the LaLiga and they said his case is one among six cases they have handled this season, and won’t hesitate to do the same to any one found wanting, when investigation into the Valencia incident is completed.

Damian Waziri

The outgoing president of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari has approved the allocation of houses to players of the senior national team of Nigeria, who lifted the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

22 of the players who won the tournament in Tunisia were promised houses by the then military president of Nigeria General Sani Abacha, but it wasn’t fulfilled until his death in 1999.

Subsequent governments have also failed to fulfill the pledge however with few days left of his administration, Buhari has approved the allocation of the houses to the players in a state of their choice.

This much was made known by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster management and social development, Sadiya Umar Farouq in Zamfara State, where she represented the president at the commissioning of housing estates in the state.

“There is more to our message of change and improving the human condition in this Housing project, this provides us an opportunity to remember our Heroes, the fearless Super Eagles to whom our country made a promise to provide Housing for winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations which has remained unfulfilled,” she said.

With controversy still surrounding his statement about English Premier League side Arsenal, red hot Nigerian striker Gift Orban appears to have committed another gaffe, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

Orban was in the news on Saturday, when he aimed a dig at Arsenal saying they are not the kind of team he want to play for because they don’t win trophies unlike their other rivals in the English Premier League.

“My ultimate dream is to play in the Premier League. Man United, Liverpool, Man City. I don’t like Arsenal alone, it’s like they don’t want to win titles. I want to go somewhere where they do”he was quoted as saying by Sporza.

The statement from the striker who has scored 20 goals in 20 games this season for Gent drew criticism from most quarters before a rebuttal was offered saying he said those words jokingly.

However, the forward who is linked with a big money move in the summer wasn’t mincing words when he was asked in the same interview, if he feels like going to Saudi Arabia, where he will definitely earn more money than any team he moves to in Europa at this stage is his career.

“You have to aim high in life, and who says no to a bigger salary? (laughs) Neither do you? But I’m still too young for Saudi Arabia. Playing in a stadium with 3 supporters is not for me”, he responded in the same interview.

Daniel Martins

Coach of the Under-20 team of Dominican Republic has saluted the Nigeria U20 team after their 2-1 win over his team at the ongoing U20 World Cup in Argentina, OwngoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria came from behind to secure a 2-1 win against the minnows and coach Walter Benitez said he can’t complain about the result of the game insisting that they lost to a better side.

” We lost the a better side. They were stronger, faster and wanted it more than we do. I have to praise my players for standing up against one of the best countries at this level”,he said at the post match conference.

Speaking further, he said his team were lucky not to have conceded more owing to the amount of chances that the Nigerians created. He however said his team will pick the lessons from this defeat and put it into use for their next game which is against Brazil.

” We probably could have lost by a heavier margin because they created a lot of chances to score but we did our best to keep at bay. We conceded via an own goal and a sloppy pass, it’s a case of lesson learnt for our remaining group games. The Nigerian team was a very strong test due to their approach. A lot of teams will struggle against them”, he rounded up saying.

Damian Waziri

The race for the future of Nigeria U20 defender Benjamin Fredrick is gathering pace with all interested teams battling to reach an agreement to sign him before the start of pre season training.

Frederick is presently at the U20 World Cup with the Nigerian team and was on for the entire duration of yesterday’s 2-1 win over Dominican Republic. He followed up his performance at the Africa Cup of Nations with another flawless one despite conceding the penalty that lead to the goal scorer by Dominican Republic.

OwngoalNigeria.com exclusively gathered that his performance at the AFCON, which saw a host of clubs showing interest in signing him appears to have been narrowed to just two teams in Swiss side FC Basle and German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

As called by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano both teams are in a list of six teams who have showed strong intention in signing the defender, they include Danish league duo of  Midtylland and Brondy, Malmo of Sweden, LaLiga side Real Sociedad as well as Villarreal from the same league.

However, the team that is pushing the most to get a deal done is FC Basle. Their representatives have already held preliminary talks with the player’s camp and are expecting a deal to be done when he turns 18.

Managed by world respected football agency CAA Base, RB Leipzig have also made their intention of signing him known but haven’t shown the same desire like FC Basle.

When OwngoalNigeria.com contacted the president of Simoiben Football Academy Mrs Sarah Moses Simon, she said she isn’t in a position to speak about the player’s next destination yet.

” We have offers but I am not sure this is the right time to speak about it. You can ask his agency about it. Our role is to guide him on which path is best for his development”, she said.

Daniel Martins

The Nigeria U20 team started their campaign at the U20 World Cup with a  comeback 2-1 win over Dominican Republic in their first game of the tournament, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman rates the players on parade for Nigeria in the win which has placed them in strong position ahead of the game against Italy, who were 3-2 winners over Brazil.

Chijioke Anigboso – Didn’t have much to do other than a solid punch to divert a long range effort. Distributed the ball nicely and commanded his area with ease….. 7/10

Daniel Bameyi – Caught out twice with balls behind him. Didn’t look entirely comfortable with the ball at his feet and in a game dominated by Nigeria, he didn’t offer an outlet on the overlap. It was his throw-in that led to the leveler for Nigeria forcing an own goal…. 6/10

Solomon Agbalaka – Solid defensively but limited in the opposition half. Should have joined the attack more but overall it must be said that he didn’t do badly….. 7/10

Benjamin Fredrick – Unlucky to give away the penalty after a VAR review. He didn’t put a foot wrong and his partnership with Abel Ogwuche is so solid judging by how they move the ball helping the team make the transition from defence to attack….. 8/10

Abel Ogwuche – Nothing went past him. Solid in the air, quick off the ground and assured in tackles. Seems to be the leader of the defence. His partnership with Frederick frustrated the Dominican Republic forwards….. 8/10

Daniel Daga – Quite easily the man of the match. Dictated the game and was ever present in the middle. Won all of his duels with his usage of the ball afterwards helping the Flying Eagles make the transition from defence to attack with ease….. 8.5/10

Tochukwu Nnadi – Had a pedestrian display in the first half. Got going in the second half like the rest of the team. Need to improve on his decision making especially in the final third….. 7.5/10

Samson Lawal – Full of energy and drive. Linked up the attack brilliantly with little intricate passes to the lively Jude Sunday. Took his goal really well….. 7.5/10

Salem Fago Lawal – Close skills has to be one of his major strength and the fact that he is willing to chase every ball had the opposition defenders on the back foot. Got subbed off due to a knock he failed to run off…. 6.5/10

Jude Sunday – Lively, daring and deadly. He was a nightmare to the backline of Dominican Republic all game long. Had three efforts that could have resulted to a goal on another day. Need to improve on his decision making when in position to shot or pass….. 8.5/10

Mohammed Beji – Another player who put in a really good shift in tracking back and attacking when the need arises. Didn’t get into goal scoring positions as he largely played in others rather than take the responsibility….. 7/10.

Substitutes:

Emmanuel Umeh – His movement upfront gave balance to the attack of Nigeria. Unlucky not to have scored and by the strength of his showing he has put himself in pole position to start the next game….. 6/10

Haliru-Sarki – Very sliky and smooth in possession. Went past his markers with ease but like the rest of his teammates, he needs to know when to shot, cross or pass in the box….. 5/10

The rest didn’t get involved enough to earn a rating.

The Nigeria U20 team started their campaign at the U20 World Cup with a  comeback 2-1 win over Dominican Republic in their first game of the tournament, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria started the game the better side but just when they were starting to build momentum for a possible chance at scoring, Dominican Republic were awarded a penalty after the Video Assistance Referee (VAR) judged that Benjamin Fredrick committed a foul in the box.

Edison Azcona dispatched the penalty with ease to hand his side a shock lead in the 23rd minute. It came totally against the run of play. Nigeria however restored parity with Daniel Bameyi’s long throw forcing an own goal eight minutes later.

Both teams went into the half level with Nigeria the better side. They finally got the win their performance deserves with twenty minutes left to play. Samson Lawal capitalized on a poor back pass to score what ended as the winner for Nigeria.

Damian Waziri

The Nigeria U20 team will later today open their campaign at the U20 World Cup taking place in Argentina, when they take on Dominican Republic in their first group game.

Led by coach Ladan Bosso, the team will be going all out for a win and it has an impact on how the coach has lined up his wards for today’s game. Owngoalnigeria.com brings you the lineup for the Nigerian team.

In goal, Chijioke Anigboso will keep his spot after displacing Nathaniel Nwosu at the Africa Cup of Nations. At right back is where the dilemma lies for Bosso but it appears he has settled for team captain Daniel Bameyi ahead of Austine Njoku.

Njoku is seen as the most offensive of the duo but the coach is keen on keeping it tight at the back hence the decision to go with Bameyi. The trio of Abel Ogwuche, Benjamin Fredrick and Solomon Agbalaka will keep their spot at left centre back, right center back and left full back.

In the middle, Samson Lawal is battling to keep John Joshua out of the team but feelers has it that Joshua will likely get the nod to start. He will join the duo of Tochukwu Nnadi and Daniel Daga in the midfield.

The attack will be led by the trio of Mohammed Beji, Emmanuel Umeh and Jude Sunday. Beji will start from the right with Sunday on the left. Umeh will lead the line centrally.

For those in Nigeria, the game will be live on Supersport 209 while those outside Nigeria can follow the game on FIFA+ app.

Starting XI: Anigboso, Bameyi, Agbalaka, Frederick, Ogwuche, Daga, Nnadi, Lawal/Joshua, Sunday, Beji, Umeh.

Mohammed Mowiz

World football governing body FIFA has picked two players in the Nigerian team at the U20 World Cup as the stars to watch out for in the team ahead of their opening game against the Dominican Republic.

Nigeria will get their group campaign at the tournament underway with a game against the minnows looking for a win that will put them in good stead for the next two group games against Italy and Brazil respectively.

In their preview of the game and profile of the Nigerian team, AC Milan’s Victor Eletu and Abel Ogwuche of Swedish side Trelleborgs were picked as the two top stars in the 21 man squad of the Nigerian team.

While Ogwuche is poised to start tomorrow against Dominican Republic, the same can’t be said of Eletu, who arrived in the camp of the team yesterday. Sources said he is more likely to get into the team for the second game against Italy.

Below is an extract from the FIFA’s article on the duo.

Perhaps the brightest jewel in the crown of Nigerian football is Eletu, a physically agile central midfielder who has enjoyed a stellar season in the AC Milan youth ranks.

Eletu, who signed his first professional contract with the Italian giants in December 2022, has been a mainstay in Ignazio Abate’s Milan U-19 side this term, featuring in 31 league games and six in the UEFA Youth League as Milan reached the semi-finals.

Typically deployed at the base of midfield, the 18-year-old has a little bit of everything in his locker, ranging from creativity, to a strong reading of the game and ability to break up play.

One of the surprise packages from Bosso’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations squad was Trelleborgs FF defender Ogwuche, who has been making waves at club level with the Swedish second division side.

The centre-back, who can play on the right or the left of a back four or as a sitting midfielder, joined the Superettan side permanently in January from Nigerian outfit Tripple 44 FC after helping the Swedish side to a fourth-place finish.

That form caught the eye of Bosso, who gave the 19-year-old his first Nigeria U-20 call-up for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. Ogwuche was expected to provide cover for Benjamin Fredrick and Bameyi, until the latter received a suspension which thrust the Trelleborgs man into the quarter-final spotlight.

He took it in his stride, keeping the Ugandan frontline quiet with a player-of-the-match performance as Nigeria ran out 1-0 winners. Ogwuche kept his place for the narrow semi-final defeat to The Gambia, and Bosso retained faith with the defender for the third-place play-off against Tunisia, where he helped the Young Eagles to a 4-0 win.

With two clean sheets from three games and that starring display against Uganda to his name, it will be interesting to see if Bosso continues to rely on Ogwuche in the heart of his defence.