Awoniyi credits coaches with Eaglets’ success

Golden Eaglets players celebrating

Golden Eaglets striker Taiwo Awoniyi has ascribed Nigeria’s success at the U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates to the team’s technical crew.

Awoniyi told the News Agency of Nigeria shortly after returning home to his family in Ilorin, Kwara State, that the technical crew members were like fathers to the players.

He said, “We saw the coaches as our fathers, from the way they were relating to us.

“On the first day at the tournament, coach Manu Garba, who is our daddy, told us that we could win the tournament only if we played every match like a final. He built a kind of confidence in us which helped us to win the competition.”

He, however, said many football fans outside Nigeria did not believe the Eaglets could win the tournament.

Awoniyi, who scored two goals in the semi-final match against Uruguay, described the competition as great, saying it was not an easy task to play at the global stage.

The player, who scored four goals and made five assists, said the draw against Sweden at the group stage was a wake-up call for Nigeria.

“It was a sign that we were beatable, but it also reminded us of our coach’s lesson to treat every game like the final,” he said.

The striker said his team’s match against Uruguay was the toughest of all the matches they played, saying the South Americans’ defence was very good and tactically disciplined.

He added that the task of winning the competition for the record fourth time dominated the players’ minds throughout the tournament.