Halilu Grabs 100th Goal As Eaglets Rout Giodano 8-1

Defender Lukman Halilu rose from the bench on Wednesday to score Golden Eaglets' record 100th goal after 33 friendly and official matches as Nigeria's U-17 team cruised to an 8-1 win against Giodano Football Academy of Kano at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project in Abuja.

Ebere Osinachi also got a rare hat-trick and a brace for Ndu Iheakam; there were
also goals for Captain Kelechi Nwakali as well as Suleiman Abdullahi while Ahmad Sabo got Giodiano's lone goal.

"We have never been thoroughly beaten like this before," confessed Giodano's Coach Ismail Ismail.

"We have always thought we were the best especially in Kano but today, we have seen that we still need to learn new things."

After earlier misses , Golden Eaglets went in front in the 29th minute when Giodano's Hamza Abdullahi brought down rampaging Abass Ibrahim in the box and Nwakali converted the resultant penalty kick as he sent goalkeeper Rabiu Adamu the other way.

Four minutes later, Nwakali provided Abdullahi with a pass and the stylish midfielder warded off his marker to glide the ball beyond the reach of Adamu. Within minutes to spare in the first half, Golden Eaglets' Victor Osimhen was penalised for handling the ball in the box and Ahmad Sabo converted the penalty to make it 2-1.

In the 53rd minute, Halilu Zakari who came in as a second half substitute for Ernest Agenor, scored his first goal for the Golden Eaglets following a swift pas from another substitute, Jack Ipalibo.

Five minutes later, Maxwell Gold broke free from the left flank and sent a pass to Ebere Osinachi to effortlessly guide the ball into the net.

Diminutive midfielder, Ndu Iheakam nearly broke his duck of scoring a goal for the team in the 67th minute as his header off a pull out by Suleiman Muhammed was firmly held by goalkeeper Adamu. Yet, it was the fleet-footed Muhammed who was the provider of the six goals when he dribbled his way into the box and his pin-point cross pushed into the net by Iheakam in the 79th minute. Four minutes later, Osinachi would grab his second goal when he evaded his markers and sent an angular shot into the net. Minutes later, Osy as Osinachi is fondly called, grabbed his hat trick of the day. But it was Ndu that got the final goal on the stroke of full time.

Golden Eaglets team Vs. Giordano

E. Nwokeocha(A.Udoh 45)-E.Akpan(A.Muhammed 45)A.Usman (M.Gold); A.

Bamidele(M.Ibrahim); U.Douglas(J.Ipalibo 45);E.Agenor(L.Halilu

45);K.Nwakali(K.Michael 45);S.Abdullahi(K.Ayinde

45);A.Ibrahim(Suleiman Muhammed 45);(;S.Chukwueze(C.Ndu 45); V.

Osimhen(E.Osinachi 45)