Nigeria U-20, Coach Emmanuel Amuneke has finally pruned the number of players in camp to 31 after Saturday’s friendly match with Nigeria National League side, Supreme Court FC.
The match ended 1-0 in favour of the Flying Eagles but it also afforded the technical crew an opportunity to further assess the ability of the fringe players ahead of the May 22, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with Burundi in Bujumbura.
Midfielder Kingsley Michael scored from the penalty spot in the 65th minute for the only goal of the match that is the fifth in a series of games played so far by the U-20 boys.
On Saturday, Amuneke fielded a completely new team against Supreme Court FC but was left disappointed at half time as the Flying Eagles failed to exhibit what they have learnt in over three weeks of intensive training. The second stanza saw the introduction of ten new players as the U-20 boys began to dominate play, leading to a 65th minute penalty converted by Michael.
With twenty minutes left on the clock, the coaches introduced star players Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze to further pile pressure on the Abuja based team but their effort did not add to the scoreline as the match ended 1-0 at full time. Amuneke thanked the dropped players for their perseverance and endurance during the screening and advised them to stay fit as their services may still be required in the near future.
One more player will be dropped next week to further reduce the number in camp to thirty. The Flying Eagles have so far played five matches, including defeating Sia-One Academy 4-1, Dabo Babes 5-0, Ace FC of Kaduna 6-2 and drawing 0-0 with Dreams FC of Makurdi.
Nigeria must beat Burundi over two legs to advance to the final round of the qualifiers in July this year.