Nigeria coach wary of Sweden threat

Manu Garba

Golden Eaglets coach Manu Garba  has warned his team  to expect a tough encounter when they face Sweden in their second group game at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Nigeria will reach  the next round of the tournament if they beat  Sweden on Tuesday.  Both teams won their first games. The Eaglets smashed past defending champions Mexico 6-1, while Sweden beat Iraq 4-1.  Nigeria  set the pace in Group F with three  points, same points as second placed Sweden but have a superior goal difference.

“There is no easy game at this tournament and we are not going to underrate Sweden because we beat Mexico 6-1,” Manu  said on Sunday.

“We are going to approach the match  with the same seriousness we gave to the game against Mexico because our objective is to win the fourth title for Nigeria.”

He  tipped Kelechi Iheanacho to be one of the stars of  UAE 2013.  Iheanacho scored  four goals against Mexico on Saturday.

“I am not surprised that he was able to score  four goals for us because he is a very good player and I have no doubt that he would be one of the stars to watch at this tournament,” Manu said. The four-goal hero revealed that he prayed for two goals and got even more. He said the goals are to the memory of his late mother as well as his younger brother, Chibuike.

Mrs. Iheanacho died in February and Iheanacho said her memories flooded back as he entered the pitch against the defending champions.