Coach Sabam Hammond of the visiting VALCO academicals of Ghana was thoroughly overwhelmed Saturday by the soccer artistry of the Shell Cup academicals in an international friendly decided at the National Stadium main bowl in Lagos which the Nigerians won 4-1.
Hammond said after the thrilling encounter that he was particularly destabilised by the first goal by the Nigerian youth team which came in a space of 30 seconds of kick-off.
"I was overwhelmed by the mobility of the Nigerian boys. That first goal destabilised my boys who were gathered together a few days before the match. They have been on break after their competition (in Ghana)," he said.
The coach's assertion was corroborated by a Ghanaian journalist, Mohammed Tahiru who accompanied the VALCO selected side to Lagos.
According to Tahiru, "your boys (Shell XI) played very well. They did not give our boys the chance to express themselves at all."
If the opening goal by Victor Oluwole was a spectacle, the third and fourth by Mamudu Isa and Mukhtar Isa were out of this world for players of their age. This proves once again that Nigeria has a reservoir of young talents that would take the place of the aging players if the NFA could take the initiative to introduce them into the various national teams.
Most people who watched the encounter concluded that the Europe-based professionals should be discarded while the young home-based talents should be given the necessary exposure to take over from them.
The second leg of the international friendly holds on Saturday at the Accra Sports Stadium with coach Hammond promising to redeem the pride of his team by defeating the Shell Cup XI.
