Nigeria's Flying Eagles on Wednesday became the first African country to qualify for the Fifa U20 World Cup in New Zealand after trouncing Congo 4-1 at he Stade Leopold Senghor in Dakar.
The team was quite impressive dispatching the Congolese considering they played most of the game with a man down after goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo was given a straight red card for a professional foul.
Coach Garba Manu's team have raked in seven goals in two games while conceding only two goals to top Group A with maximum points from two games.
Supersport.com highlights lessons garnered from the emphatic win over Congo and gives pointers to what has been learnt so far about the team at the 2015 Africa Youth Championship
Flying Eagles © DStv
Character, in abundance
This team has something going for it. They have character in plenty doses. After Joshua Enaholo's dismissal, they kept their heads and buckled up.
The result was another two goals to boot and didn't look like they were in danger of losing the game despite Congo clawing back with a goal to make it 2-1 in the second half.
Despite all the pressure mounted by the Congolese, the Flying Eagles stood firm and were able to hit their opponent's on the break to devastating effect.
Another team could have whittled under pressure, but no Garba Manu's boys. The showed immense maturity and character to hold Congo for about 75 minutes with a man down.
Golden Eaglets then in 2013.....two years later as Flying Eagles we can report nothing has changed
Taiwo Awoniyi is on his way up
This might sound cliche' but the signs are ominous enough to make such assertions.
A back up squad member at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in UAE in 2013, Awoniyi was to be back up to first choice striker Success Isaac. An unfortunate injury to the Granada striker in a game against Sweden, meant Awoniyi got his chance.
He seized it with aplomb.
Three goals in the tournament and Isaac Success unavailability for most of the qualifiers for the 2015 AYC meant Awoniyi continued as the main man in the attack as Manu Garba along with a bevy of his Golden Eaglets players made the transition from the U17 level to the U20 level.
He was voted MVP at the Super Four Invitational Tournament in Abuja in January and has transferred that form to the CAF U20 Youth Championship in Senegal with three goals in two games.
His work work rate and hold up play has been phenomenal to say the least and his goal against Congo? Reminds me of a certain Rashidi Yekini. No exaggeration.
Plan A not working? No problem.
Coach Garba Manu has always insisted his team likes to adopt the philosophy of 'total football'.
Garba has his birds really soaring
When I pressed him further to understand what he meant during their residential camping in Kaduna late last year, Manu said: "We love to keep the ball and utilise it properly when we have it. No one has any particular position when we have the ball.
"All areas are to be covered and we must have players within spaces either offensively or defensive.
"We also attack and defend in numbers.
The Africa Youth Championship has shown a side of Garba Manu's team a lot of Nigerians haven't seen before. The Flying Eagles have proved they can keep the ball on the group as well as equally at home using long balls.
Plan B has been a viable option at this Championship and it has worked to devastating effect.
Three of Nigeria's sevens goals at the tournament were as a direct result of long balls over the top. Another three were as a consequence of route one football.
For a team like Garba Manu's known for 'possession football', surely this is a surprise. He has morphed his team into a side that can adapt to whatever opponent they face.
Musa Muhammed; Problem solved.
For many Super Eagles fans, the right full back position has been a problematic area for the team since the departure of Chidi Ordiah from the international stage.
Many players have been tried in that position to little or no effect. Yusuf Mohammed, Solomon Kwambe and Efe Ambrose have all been had a pop.
Ambrose, who has manned the position recently, for all his endeavour isn't a full back.
Musa Muhammed looks a viable option at this point. The 18 year old skipper of the Flying Eagles has continued to cement his already burgeoning reputation as a future Super Eagles star with impressive showings at the Africa Youth Championship.
Maybe the future is now.
The youngster is a quintessential modern day full who is always looking to support the attack while also taking care of his defensive duties.
He is also fantastic at set pieces as his two well taken penalties against Congo will attest.
Surely, a Super Eagles call up isn't far away.
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