FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP: EAGLETS CONQUER THE WORLD AGAIN

For the fourth time of asking on Asian soil, the Golden Eaglets yesterday sealed their place in FIFA U-17 World Cup history when they trashed Mexico 3-0   in the final of UAE 2013, to bring their title haul at this level of youth football to four.
They emerged the top scoring team of the tournament with 26 goals, a record that speaks volume of the attacking instincts of this great team, tipped to rule the world in the future.
In an explosive and interesting match decided at the beautiful Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the Eaglets, who had scored 23 goals in six previous matches before last night’s encounter, came into the match on a cautious note, allowing the Mexicans to dictate the initiative but later started to dictate the pace with their fluid attacking football that has entrapped fans here.
Powered in the midfield by five-goal hero Kelechi Iheanacho, who distinguished himself as a classy player at this tournament, with his inch-perfect crosses, the Eaglets’ first real chance of troubling Mexican goalkeeper Raul   Gudino came in the 4th minute when Musa Yayaha, another five-goal star, failed to connect properly with his head. The pass was provided by Iheanacho, whose control of the ball has made people to start comparing him to the likes of Sunday Oliseh and Austin Okocha, both former captains of the Super Eagles.
Eaglets finally found the breakthrough in the 9th minute when Musa Yayaha’s shot was deflected in by Mexico’s Erick Aguirre. The pass was once again provided by Iheanacho, a thorn in the flesh of the El Tri, who released a through pass to Yayaha from a counter-attack move launched by the Nigerians, who had moment earlier denied Mexico’s star striker Ivan Ochoa from netting the opener.
Ochoa, who had scored a brace in the 3-0 semifinal defeat of Argentina had found space in the air, beating off the central defensive pair of Zaharadeen Bello and Abubakar Aliyu but goalkeeper Dele Alampasu came good with a great save as he tipped the ball over for a corner, which the Mexicans wasted and Nigeria went ahead to launch a counter-attack that produced the first goal.
But the goal awakened Mexico, winners of the last edition hosted by them in 2011 as they searched for the equalizer.   Prodded on by Coach Raul Gutierez from the torch-line, Mexico committed more men in the attack as they laid ambush for the Eaglets, who were just too good in the defence as in attack.
Captain Ulises Rivas was running the strings for the Mexicans in the midfield but the Nigerian setup was in no mood to allow their foes to get level.
Forward Taiwo Awoniyi should have edged Eaglets two goals up but hit the side of the net after beating goalkeeper Gudino on 38 minutes.
Yayaha, few seconds later hit the upright as the Eaglets went on rampage. It was turning out to be a night of near-misses and close-shaves as the El Tri went into pannick mode.
They had been thrashed 6-1 the last time both teams met in Al Ain on October 19, in a Group F opener and here again, were being pushed to the brink by a turbo-charged Eaglets, as promised by Coach Manu Garba, who continued prancing on the touchline, dishing out useful instructions to his marauding Eaglets.
The fans, comprised mostly of Nigerians living in Dubai and other cities in the United Arab Emirates, were having a good time as centre referee from Scotland, Craig Thomson blew the final whistle to end the first entertaining first half.
While Coach Gutierez made a change, taking off the ineffective Luis Hernandez for Erich Hernandez, Nigerian came into the second half with same players bustling with greater hunger for goals, launching attack after attack, containing the Mexicans to their half, in search of the second goal.