Siasia Wins The Big Game,qualifiers Nigeria for the African U-23 Final In Senegal

Siasia He Loves "Big Games"

Coach Samson Siasia made good his pledge to win the make or mar Olympic  second leg qualifier against the wise  one Claude Leroy in Pointe- Noire Sunday to book a ticket for the final of the African eight team championship in Senegal later in the year

Siasia's wards otherwise called the Dream Team six  battled nil-nil with Congo in Pointe-Noire on Sunday. Samson Siasia’s wards won the first leg 2-1 and thus qualify for the finals in Senegal on same 2-1 aggregate.

Nigeria joins host Senegal, Algeria, Zambia, Egypt, South Africa and Tunisia in the finals to be staged 28 November – 11 December, and at which the top three teams will fly Africa’s flag at the  2016 Olympic Football event  in Rio de Janeiro. A fourth team will play off against an Asian team.

Either of Mali or Gabon will emerge on Sunday evening to complete the field.

A tough game that it was expected to be, the Nigerians gave no inch to the home team right from the blast of the whistle, and looked the more likely to get a goal after four corner kicks inside the first half –hour. But the Congolese held on.

The aggregate victory means Nigeria can continue its quest for a seventh appearance at the Men’s Football Tournament of the Olympic, since first turning out at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.

NFF President Amaju Pinnick immediately saluted the team,his words: “Personally, I am very excited. From the way the boys played in the first leg, I never doubted their ability to qualify. The NFF is proud of the team and will ensure that the team will be  adequately prepared for the African Championship.”

Regarded as one of the darkest cauldrons of African football, Pointe-Noire in Congo-Brazzaville always hold a certain dread about it. But Samson Siasia is one for the big battles and promised to conquer before the Nigeria U-23 team left Nigeria on Thursday. He did it, with the active support of the Federal Government, the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation!

Many thanks to Timi-Ebikagboro the U-23 media Officer and The Nigeria Football Federation for the news