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Eaglets celebrates Photo: The Sun Publishing |
“Spain will be tough. Any team that make it to the last-four of a World Cup is going to be a tough team...that includes us too though.”
He may wear the No.9 shirt in this wildly impressive Nigerian outfit, but Ajagun is less an out-and-out goal-scorer and more of an attacking midfielder, moving forward into dangerous positions whenever the spirit moves him.
A disciplined outfit under stern coach and task master, John Obuh, the Nigerians still manage to swap positions freely and overlap with a masterful fluidity. Whether he’s bursting towards the goal, or dropping off to help defend, Ajagun has been right on the money, linking up well with Stalney Okoro and Terry Envoh, as the Nigerian juniors aim to pick up their second straight Under-17 world title.
It wasn’t the most seamless start for the Eaglets, who only had a month or so to prepare as a full squad before the finals. But since opening with an heroic comeback and a 3–3 draw with Germany, the hosts have gone from strength to strength. “Our start wasn’t that great; it’s true,” adds the Lagos-born lad who plays in Port Harcourt with two-time top-flight champions Dolphin FC. “We’ve been getting better, though, with every game. That is the sign of a strong team. We want to get even better still.”
Ajagun and his battling mates will need to be at their very best when they meet Spain in Lagos on Thursday. Although the Europeans let a big lead slip and required penalties to edge Uruguay in their quarter-final, they are among the true class of this Under-17 World Cup and will be no pushovers in the semi-final, a re-match of the 2007 Under-17 final in Korea. “Spain will be tough. Any team that makes it to the last-four of a World Cup is going to be a tough team, that includes us too though,” the youngster nearly shouts, eager for his point to be understood.
One thing bound to be going for the No.9 and his Golden Eaglet mates at the Balogun Stadium will be home-field advantage. As the team’s performances have increased in quality, so too have the home crowds in intensity and number. The 3–1 win over the Koreans, lively and dynamic up to that point, was roared on by a full house in Calabar. “Did you see the fans out there tonight?” asked Ajagun rhetorically. “They were amazing. The noise they made helped us the whole way and it makes me happy to have helped make them happy,” added the player who began the competition as a substitute.
Ajagun, charmingly eager and ambitious, has big plans for his Eaglets. “I am not afraid to say it: I think we can win this tournament,” he announces, almost unprovoked. “We have a good team, we are getting better all the time and we have the fans’ support here in our homeland. Pulling on the green shirt of Nigeria gives me pride and makes me want to play my best possible football. I am sure it is the same with all of my team-mates.”
Amid a raucous atmosphere at the U.J. Esuene Stadium on Monday evening, one man sat perfectly still in the VIP tribune. The 89-year-old Ekeng Henshaw, dressed in traditional green garb, sits watching intently as Nigeria’s juniors dominate Korea Republic in the first half of their quarter-final in Calabar, old hands balanced on the golden handle of his cane. FIFA.com managed to break the old man’s concentration for a chat at the half, five minutes after the lively Koreans drew level at 1–1.
“I enjoy watching this young team,” says Henshaw, who holds the distinction of being the first-ever captain of the Nigerian senior national team, the Super Eagles. “These boys here look very nice on the ball. It fills me with joy to see them playing and expressing themselves. I see some real talent out there, it’s just too bad they lost concentration and conceded a goal. They’ll have to get their heads back in it if they want to win this tournament,” added the Calabar native, who played in the Nigerian national team’s first game in 1949, donning the skipper’s armband.
Behind thick spectacles, the old man’s eyes water a bit with memories of that time so long ago - just four short years on from the conclusion of World War II - when the young Nigerians, playing barefoot before curious crowds, did a summer tour of England.
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