Iheanacho, Awoniyi, Headline Eagles 4-1 Win Over Prison FC.

Super Eagles Team B defeated Prisons FC of Abuja 4-1 in their first friendly match ahead of the 2014 African Championship (CHAN) in South Africa on Friday.

Head coach Stephen Keshi, who was returning to the squad since the final World Cup draw a week ago, made some few changes from the side which lost 1-0 to Lebanon in Amman last month.

He preferred to blood the newly invited players like Isah Danladi in goal, Bright Esieme, Aliyu Abubakar, Gbolahan Salami, Ezekiel Mba and Golden Eaglets star Kelechi Iheanacho among others.

Kelechi Iheanacho.
Kelechi Iheanacho.

Nonetheless, the home-based Eagle were 2-0 up at half-time, giving the faithful crowd at the Fifa Goal Project site of the National Stadium in Abuja something to cheer on. Salami opened scoring from the spot after Iheanacho’s clever chip for goal was handled by a Prisons player inside the box.

The second goal was a masterpiece to behold following a clever inter-play between substitute Barnabas Imenger and Mohammed Ajia, which unsettled the defence of the Abuja-based side, only for the onrushing Abubakar to smash home from about 30 yards.

Keshi introduced Team B regulars in the second-half and, even with the presence of the likes of Azubuike Egwuekwe, Sunday Mba, Benjamin Francis, Rabiu Ali, Dan Ekpeyi and Eaglets striker Taiwo Awoniyi, it was Prisons who summoned the initiative to pull a goal back from close range after a defensive mix-up- Inuwa Ahmed was the goal scorer.

The goal came as a wake-up call for the Nigerians, who have been drawn alongside hosts South Africa, Mali and Mozambique in next month’s CHAN, as a corner-kick taken by Kwambe was headed in by Egwuekwe, blocked by the goalkeeper only for the Warri Wolves defender to tap home with his left foot on his second attempt, midway into the second-half.

Oghenekaro Etebo completed scoring for the Eagles in the 85th minute. Kwambe laid a pass to Awoniyi, who beat a defender and gave the ball to Etebo to score Eagles’ fourth.