The Young Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire fully avenged their earlier defeat by Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, when beating the two-time FIFA World Cup runners-up 2-0 in the second of two friendly games in Abidjan on Friday evening.
Aliyu Zubairu’s charges were deserved 2-0 winners over their hosts in the first match on Wednesday, but the Young Elephants rose from that setback to impose themselves at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny.
Playing without most of the players who secured the 2-0 win two days ago, the Nigerian team were no where near their best and got punished for their lack of cohesion very early into the game.
The game’s temperament and general flow was in sharp contrast to Wednesday’s session, with the Young Elephants dominating play and keeping the visitors at bay for most of the encounter.
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The hosts were in front after only 17 minutes, with Tape Yaya Kader scoring from open play, and doubled the advantage eight minutes after recess from a penalty kick taken by Isaac Cisse. On Wednesday, Nigeria had scored from a penalty kick converted by Captain Daniel Bameyi and then made it 2-0 from open play through Divine Oliseh.
The Flying Eagles’ contingent will return to Abuja on Saturday.
Ade Emmanuel
