Three-time champions Nigeria left little to doubt when they opened
their FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign against twice champions and holders
Mexico in Al Ain, winning by an emphatic 6-1 scoreline on Saturday.
FIFA.com
reports that the result piles more unhappiness on the Mexican nation,
whose senior team are experiencing a crisis in senior FIFA World Cup
qualifying, while Nigeria’ Super Eagles sit comfy and cozy at the top of
Group F.
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets looked nervous early, but the Mexicans were unable to take advantage of their opponents’ trepidation.
Striker
Ulises Jaimes had a chance to score with his head after only three
minutes, but the ball was deflected wide of danger by the scrambling
Nigerian defence.
With a half-hour gone, and after a few more
Mexican half-chances, the Africans had settled into their rhythm. That
was bad news for Mexico.
With 33 minutes gone, the speedy Golden
Eaglets were through on a counter-attack. Success Isaac, who seven times
in the African qualifiers, raced in and rounded the goalkeeper, pulling
the ball back across goal.
Kelechi Iheanacho followed the play
and produced a clever finish, hitting the ball high into the net to get
over a pair of Mexican defenders.
Seven minutes later, the No. 10 –
hands-down the best player on the pitch – scored again. The pattern was
the same, Isaac crossing from the left after a fast-break and Iheanacho
keeping his cool again, cutting inside and showing great patience to
drift past two defenders and slam into the side netting.
The
Nigerians celebrated wildly in front of their large banks of fans, but
their enthusiasm got the better of them as they conceded a goal a minute
later.
Still in dreamland, the African defenders failed to clear
their lines and the ball fell kindly for Jaimes in the area, with the
Morelia youngster rounding his man to score low in the corner.
The
Mexican euphoria couldn’t last, however, and Iheanacho had his
hat-trick seconds into the second-half. With the ball flicked on from a
long throw-in, the livewire slammed it home, low and hard, at the near
post to make it 3-0 for the rampaging Nigerians. It was 4-0 three
minutes later, when Chidiebere Nwakali fired the ball in from 25 yards
out, signaling a certain rout as the Nigerian fans chanted for more,
more, and more.
Isaac provided it on the hour-mark when he raced
on to a through-ball, bamboozled two tired and devastated Mexican
defenders and fired inside the near post from 12 yards out. With 30
minutes to go, the irrepressible Iheanacho bagged his fourth goal. He
cut in from the right side and fired a vicious strike from a long way
out that Gudino got his finger-tips to, but had no chance of keeping out
of the top corner to make the final score a frightening 6-1.
Up
next for the impressive Nigerians is a date with Scandinavian debutants
Sweden in three days’ time, when Mexico try to get things back on track
against Iraq.
Reported by FIFA.com
