Ahead of their huge clash against Italy on Wednesday, Flying Eagles’ Jude Sunday has promised that the team shall make the country proud.
Nigeria played their first U-20 World Cup match of the tournament against Dominican Republic and they were able to win 2-1 at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
Weekend recap 🦅
Sights from the 🇳🇬Flying Eagles 2-1 come from behind win over the 🇩🇴Dominican Republic in their opening group game of the #FIFAU20WorldCup.#SoarFlyingEagles pic.twitter.com/m3KEqW6M7d
— The NFF 🇳🇬 (@thenff) May 22, 2023
How the Flying Eagles Got their Victory
Edison Azcona opened the scoring for Dominican Republic in the 23rd minute to set up what would have been a huge upset but their lead only lasted for eight minutes.
In the 31st minute, Guillermo de Pena scored an own goal to tie the game and the Flying Eagles had the momentum from there.
The search for a winner finally paid dividends for the Flying Eagles who made the score 2-1 through Samson Lawal in the 70th minute. Lawal was able to capitalize on a back pass from Israel Boatwright and score past Xavier Valdez in the Dominican goal.
In the end, the Flying Eagles showed the difference in class and experience between the two sides at this level and were able to see out the game from that point on.
It ended up being a narrow result but Nigeria had most of the ball (61% possession) as well as more shots than their opponents.
This victory puts them level on points with Wednesday’s opponents, Italy, who beat Brazil 3-2 in a thrilling encounter. It's safe to say that whoever wins the next game between Italy and Nigeria on Wednesday will most likely secure passage to the next round of the tournament.
It will be a tough assignment for Nigeria against one of the toughest sides in the tournament but Jude Sunday has assured fans of the Nigeria National football team that they will put on a performance that will make the country proud.
Sunday Looking Forward to a Positive Outing
“I had a wonderful game today, I was quite ready for the match. I want to thank God and my teammates for the success of this game, and for making me display my best.” he said after their first Group D match and win.
The Nigerian winger couldn't get a goal but he was excellent for his team on the day from the left wing. He was constantly looking for ways to break down the Dominican defense and was a thorn in their side throughout. He even had a goal disallowed for offside. .
He continued by making a promise to the fans of the Nigeria Super Eagles.
“I will put in my best and I promise Nigerians that we are going to make them proud in the next game and we are going to win by God’s grace. I will try and put in my best again.” he added.
Sunday will definitely play a key role for his side in their second clash of the competition.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
