Eaglets edge wasteful Mexico in Concepcion classic

Eaglets edge wasteful Mexico in
Concepcion classic
Nov 6, 2015 05:13:00 Editorial
Nigeria:

Six goals and a record-equalling ninth
for Victor Osimhen, but it was a lot tighter than
the 4-2 scoreline suggested, as both teams
played out the game of the tournament.
COMMENT By Solace Chukwu
Follow on Twitter
The visceral joy of watching youth level
football is the chance to witness a game
untainted, free of the leaven of the Pharisees,
whose knowledge contains corruption implicit.
Then again, maybe it is just nostalgia, a
yearning for the mental El Dorado of a bygone
age, free of gamesmanship, cheating, and every
such thing. Artlessness has its own attractions.
Mexico went for Nigeria right from the
opening bell, weaving, jabbing and twisting
away, nary a nod to caution. By the end,
neither side could give any more; indeed, it
would be unreasonable to have expected
better. This was as good a game as you will
ever see at U17 level.
Observing the trend of the tournament, it was
only a matter of time before Emmanuel
Amunike’s charges got a ticking-off for their
limpid starts, a quirk both Brazil coach Carlos
Amadeu and, tonight, Mario Arteaga picked up
on and sought to punish.
Unlike the Brazilians, Mexico made the most of
their early verve, edging ahead through Kevin
Magana. It might have been their second;
indeed, there may well have been more by the
half-hour, as Nigeria reclined, complacent in
their own sense of invincibility, bred by the
tournament’s most prolific goal-haul. In those
moments, El Tri may have ended the game as a
contest. If you come at the king, you best not
miss.
Magana | Making the most of Nigeria's lethargy
For a team that has scored 20 goals in six
games, goalkeeper Akpan Udoh gets through a
tremendous amount of work. Here again, he
produced his regular left-handed Buffon save
early on, (it is no surprise that he frequently
faces shots from his right, as John Lazarus is
very much the weak link in this team) before
scooping a header onto the cross bar to keep
the deficit at one. He is part goalkeeper, part
oxygen tank, keeping the team breathing just
long enough for them to break the surface and
explode into the light.
It was just as well that he did, as five minutes
later, drill sergeant Kelechi Nwakali sounded
the alarm for the sleepy Golden Eaglets,
winning and curling home a majestic free-kick
with utmost precision and delicacy. If that was
a creamy mousse, then Orji Okonkwo’s
explosion was a pungent chili, a lick of fire
down the spine that came out of nowhere to
produce a half-time lead.
The scoreline was repeated in the second
period, a perfect symmetry to underline a fact
that it intrinsically undermines: this was a
game decided by moments, and it was a lot
closer than a two-goal margin would suggest.
Victor Osimhen, all through this tournament
both worker-ant and Queen, had a subdued
game, but settled the tie with a cool penalty
seven minutes from the end to equal the
record of nine held by both Souleymane
Coulibaly and Florent Sinama-Pongolle.
Osimhen | A record-equalling effort
Until then, the same looseness that has
characterised the Nigerian defence all through
the tournament had threatened to give the
Central Americans another way back into the
match. Magana fluffed a chance easier than his
first half goal, while right-back Diego Cortes
went on an improbable half-run through the
heart of the Golden Eaglets, and only had to
skirt one challenge before scoring.
More than any other team, Mexico asked
searching questions of the Nigerian team, and
received few answers. Nigeria scored four
goals, and twice hit the woodwork, but it was
Arteaga’s side who opened up their opponents
with greater regularity—two of Nigeria’s goals
were from dead-balls, one was a once-a-
lifetime missile; only Osinachi Ebere’s third saw
Nwakali, producing his first statement
performance of the U17 World Cup, prise open
El Tri’s backline. Even then, goalkeeper
Abraham Romero would not commend his own
efforts in keeping it out.
As he ascetically eschews the joy of every
goal, one would assume this is not lost of
Amunike. A wrinkled Buddha, inscrutable as a
Buckingham Palace guard, his fierce
concentration is the perfect touchline exemplar
for his dozy defence. Look, and look alive.
He will surely find this semi-final slugfest a
stark contrast to the challenge of the
physically imposing Malian side in Sunday’s
showpiece. For now though, he can delight in
the fact his team passed a different sort of
test, clawing back a deficit; perhaps it is best
that it was faced now, rather than in the final,
with everything on the line and nerves to the
fore.
One suspects Mali will be a lot less open.