There was so much between the Golden Eaglets who won the FIFA Under -17 World Cup in 1985 and the Eaglets who lost in the quarter finals of the same competition in 1989.If you did not believe in reincarnation before now, just brace up for these similarities that are too close to be dismissed.
When China hosted the competition in 1985, the Eaglets played their group matches in Dalian. They were in Group B. At Scotland ’89, the Nigerian Boys found themselves in Group B, Dundee.
The Eaglets did not concede any goal in the First Round. At China ’85, the Eaglets beat Italy1-0, played a barren draw with Saudi Arabia and trounced Costa Rica 3-0. In Scotland, Nigeria hammered Canada 4-0. drew goalless with Argentina and bombed China 3-0.
The import is that in both competitions, the Eaglets won their first game, earned a scoreless draw in the second match and emerged victorious in their last group game with a 3-0 advantage. In other words, the team won two matches and drew one in the First Round.
The three goals in the third match were scored in one half. And the boys in goal for the Eaglets hailed from Edo State. In 1985, it was Lucky Agbonsevbafe. In 1989, there was Andrew Aikhumuogbe. Both surnames began with the letter A and ended with letter E.
At China ’85, the first goal of the first match was scored by the player wearing the number 10 jersey, Victor Igbinoba. Italy fell 1-0. Four years later in Scotland, jersey number 10, Segun Fetuga, bagged the curtain raiser in the 4-0 bombing of Canada. The skipper of the 1985 squad, Nduka Anthony Ugbade, was based in Lagos. Fetuga, the 1989 captain, was also a Lagos Boy.
In the third game of the First Round, the second goal against Costa Rica came off the cleats of No.11, Bella Momoh Akpagamah. That was in China. At Scotland ’89,Victor Nosa Ikpeba wore jersey No.11. He scored goal number two against 1985 hosts, China. Both strikers were from Bendel State at the time but lived in Yoruba land. The former in Ibadan, the latter in Lagos.
Kingsley Akhionbare tied a head band in China. His jersey Number was 6. In Scotland, jersey No.6, Precious Monye Onyeabor, also wore a white band on his head. The players hailed from the then Bendel State.
In 1985, No.8, Sanni Adamu, played for a Plateau team. Patrick Mancha who wore that jersey number in 1989 also came from a club based in Plateau State.
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The Eaglets drew goalless with Saudi Arabia at China ’85. When both sides met again in Scotland, the result was 0-0 in regulation and overtime. It took the Saudis three penalty misses by Nigeria to advance to the semi finals. The Arabians would go ahead to lift the trophy.
It is safe to say that while the 1985 Eaglets won the cup in without losing any match, the 1989 Eaglets did not lose a game in regulation time all through the tournament. And the team that defeated the 1989 side advanced to win the Cup.
The man who managed the 1985 Golden Eaglets, Sebastine Brodericks-Imasuen, also led the team in 1989. His captain in 1985, Ugbade, spoke fluent Yoruba. The 1989 skipper, Fetuga, spoke Yoruba too. Nduka is an Igbo name, from the old Bendel State. Imasuen is a Bini man, from old Bendel, who spoke fluent Igbo.
In 1985, ‘elder brothers’ of the Eaglets, the Flying Eagles, won a medal[bronze] at the FIFA Coca Cola Under 20 Championships held in Europe[ Soviet Union]. In 1989, the Eaglets bagged a medal[silver] at the FIFA Under 20 competition hosted by a European nation, Portugal.
