SUPER Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro said he was impressed after the Flying Eagles defeated Mozambique 2-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Forwards Samson Lawal and Ibrahim Muhammad struck to earn Nigeria all three points and a spot in the last eight, after the lads overcame an opening day defeat to Senegal.
Peseiro, who has been in Egypt monitoring the team, spoke highly of the Nigerian youngsters to the Nigeria Football Federation after the victory in Ismailia last night.
After securing their first win of the tournament over hosts Egypt on Wednesday, the Flying Eagles played with confidence yesterday and dominated most of the game played under the floodlights at the Suez Canal Stadium.
Ayuba Francis had come close in the sixth and 24th minutes for the Flying Eagles, but he failed to convert.
Lawal then opened the scoring in the 33rd minute after receiving a pass from the Haliru Sarki. He skipped past two defenders before releasing a fierce shot beyond the reaches of Mozambique goalkeeper Kimiss Zavala.
With four minutes left before the break, Muhammad, who gave the Mozambican defence a torrid time, doubled Nigeria’s lead with a superb hit into the top right corner.
In the second half, Nigeria goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso denied substitute Edson Mucuana from close range in the 55th minute. At the other end, another shot from Lawal forced a big save from Zavala.
Victory meant the Flying Eagles finished second in Group A with six points, behind Senegal who trounced Egypt 4-0 to amass nine points.
The Flying Eagles will play the winners of Group B (which could be Uganda or Congo) in the quarter-finals on Thursday at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.
A win in the quarter-finals will earn the Flying Eagles a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
