Nigeria’s Future Eagles delivered their most emphatic performance at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, dismantling New Caledonia 7–0 on Wednesday to advance to the Tier C Round of 16.
Captain Timothy Ijachi stole the headlines with a superb hat-trick, while Abdulsalam Muhammad scored twice as the Nigerian youngsters produced a dominant attacking display to maintain their unbeaten run in the competition.
Wisdom Oche and Mayowa Salu also found the net in a comprehensive victory that underlined Nigeria’s growing confidence as the tournament enters its decisive stages.
Oche Sets the Pace as Nigeria Run Riot
The Future Eagles wasted little time asserting their authority, with Oche opening the scoring just 60 seconds into the encounter.
Ijachi doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 12th minute before adding his second goal four minutes later to put Patrick Bassey’s side firmly in control at 3–0.
Muhammad extended the lead in the 21st minute, giving Nigeria a commanding four-goal cushion as their attacking combinations continued to trouble the New Caledonian defence.
Ijachi completed his hat-trick in the 35th minute, further highlighting his importance to the team, before Muhammad registered his second goal of the match in the 39th minute.
Salu completed the rout in the 40th minute, sealing a 7–0 victory for the Nigerian side.
The result represented Nigeria’s biggest win of the tournament and extended the Future Eagles’ unbeaten run to six matches. <Cite refs={[“turn761873search9″,”turn761873search10”]}/>
Ijachi Leads Nigeria’s Attacking Charge
Ijachi’s three-goal performance was the standout feature of the contest, with the captain demonstrating his scoring instincts and ability to influence important matches.
Muhammad’s brace further strengthened Nigeria’s attacking contribution, while Oche’s early strike and Salu’s late goal ensured that the victory was shared among four different goalscorers.
The performance will provide encouragement for Bassey and his coaching staff as they seek to build on the team’s impressive start and make a strong impression in the next phase.
Beyond the margin of victory, Nigeria’s ability to establish an early lead and continue scoring throughout the contest demonstrated their attacking potential in a competition designed to provide young players with valuable international experience.
Future Eagles Build on Unbeaten Group Campaign
Nigeria entered the knockout phase after finishing third in Group AD with seven points from five matches, recording one win and four draws.
The Future Eagles opened their campaign with a 3–3 draw against South Sudan before sharing a 2–2 result with Jordan. They subsequently drew with The Gambia, defeated Cyprus 2–1 and drew 1–1 with Pakistan to complete the group stage without defeat.
Nigeria scored 11 goals and conceded 10 during those five matches, results that placed them in Tier C for the tournament’s second phase.
The 7–0 triumph over New Caledonia marked a significant improvement in their goal difference and provided a convincing start to the placement-stage competition.
