African Youth Championship, Rwanda 2009

Today

Group B
Egypt     v  Ivory Coast 1pm
S. Africa  v  Nigeria 3

He may have comfortably won his first group game against Egypt but Nigeria’s coach sent a terrifying warning to his team’s next opponents, saying, "You are yet to see the best of us.”

Going into today’s second game against South Africa, Ladan Bosso believes his Flying Eagles can only get better as the tournament grows older.

Chasing a record sixth African Youth title, Nigeria are favourites to win the trophy on Rwandan soil but only after winning today’s tie against a South African side full of confident after their own win over Ivory Coast in the first game.

Nigeria beat Egypt 2-0 while Ivory Coast were stunned 1-0 by Nelson Mandela’s youngsters. Teams in this group are playing their matches at the Regional stadium, Nyamirambo.

Bosso said, "We played well against Egypt and I believe we deserved our win but it was our best performance over all, which means we can improve in the next match against South Africa.”

"We were exposed in some areas in the first game but will have to rectify those weaknesses and possibly hit top gear as the tournament progresses,” noted Bosso, a man who is under pressure from fans and his bosses back to home to do well.

A win today will automatically mean a place in the last four for the Flying Eagles but South Africa’s coach Serame Letsoaka will be having other ideas.

Letsoaka whose team rode their luck in the first game against Ivory Coast will be looking to defy odds and qualify for the semifinals with three more points from the remaining two group matches starting today.

The Nigeria, South Africa match will be proceeded by the clash between Egypt and Ivory Coast, two teams that after losing the first matches will be going to nothing less than maximum points from each, a feat that only makes this tie a real thriller.

Defeat for any of these two sides will automatically mean early exit from the 16th African Youth Championship, Rwanda 2009.

Ends