23 July 2008
Lagos — The Pepsi U-17 International Football Competition started in Abeokuta on Monday with the teams showing tremendous skills in the matches played.
One of the invited teams form Ghana, Liberty Professionals took on the Pepsi Starlets in a match that kick-started the tournament. In the match that witnessed the exhibition of a lot of skills and grit on both sides, both teams settled for a one all draw.
In another match of the day, the Academy for Pro-Soccer Ibadan Nigeria took the Siaone Academy Abuja to the cleaners and secured a 2- 0 victory.
The undisputed crowd puller of the day, however, was the match between the Golden Eaglets preparing to represent Nigeria in the FIFA World Championship to be hosted in the country in 2009.
Matched up against the Olympic Sports of Abobo, Cote d'Ivoire, the team, tutored by Alphonsus Dike, displayed great soccer artistry and technique in playing a goalless draw.
In the last match of the day Pepsi Senior Colts beat Dimension Football Club of Benin Republic 2-1.
Commenting on the match his boys played, Dike said he is happy that Pepsi is offering him the first opportunity to expose his boys to real time competition since their selection. "With what I have observed, I will go back to continue tinkering the team. Obviously, a lot needs to be done before we can confidently say that we have a team that can face the world."
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