Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles boosted their preparations for the upcoming 2027 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualifiers with a convincing 3-1 victory over Nigeria National League side Grassrunners FC in a friendly encounter at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Friday.
The victory offered encouragement to the technical crew after the team’s earlier goalless draw against Remo Stars, with the young Nigerians showing greater attacking sharpness and improved coordination in their second preparatory match.
The Olympic Eagles wasted little time in making their presence felt, taking the lead in the 11th minute through Muiz Adeleke, who headed home to put Nigeria ahead and reward their positive start.
The early goal gave the national team confidence as they continued to push forward in search of another breakthrough. However, Grassrunners managed to limit further damage before the interval, leaving the Olympic Eagles with a narrow advantage at half-time.
The national team returned for the second half with renewed attacking intent, and their efforts paid off in the 56th minute when substitute Habila Simeon doubled their advantage.
Simeon’s introduction proved valuable as he found the back of the net shortly after coming on, giving the Olympic Eagles greater control of the contest and putting Grassrunners under increased pressure.
Nigeria continued to dominate proceedings and extended their lead nine minutes later. In the 65th minute, Jude Otowowor produced an impressive long-range effort to make it 3-0, leaving the Grassrunners goalkeeper with little chance of stopping the strike.
With a three-goal cushion, the Olympic Eagles appeared comfortable, but Grassrunners refused to surrender without a response.
The NNL side eventually reduced the deficit in the 82nd minute after Akani Fadel converted a penalty to make the score 3-1.
Despite the late consolation goal, the Olympic Eagles maintained their advantage until the final whistle to secure an encouraging victory ahead of their continental assignment.
The result represents a positive step for Nigeria, particularly after their inability to find the net in their previous friendly against Remo Stars. Scoring three goals against Grassrunners will provide the attacking players with additional confidence as the technical crew continues to assess the squad.
The friendly also offered an opportunity to evaluate different combinations and give players valuable match experience before the more demanding challenge awaiting them against DR Congo.
The Olympic Eagles are scheduled to face DR Congo in the first leg of their qualifying encounter in Lubumbashi on Friday, November 13, before hosting the return fixture at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, November 17.
Nigeria are expected to depart for DR Congo on Monday as preparations enter their final stages.
The two-legged encounter is crucial to Nigeria’s ambitions of reaching the 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt, which will serve as the qualifying tournament for the men’s football competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Nigeria will be eager to return to the Olympic football tournament after missing the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 editions. The country previously won gold at Atlanta 1996, silver at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Rio 2016.
With the DR Congo challenge fast approaching, the 3-1 victory over Grassrunners provides the Olympic Eagles with a timely confidence boost, although the technical crew will know that a much tougher examination awaits them in Lubumbashi.
