Amuneke angry over Eaglets loss to Croatia

The 1-2 defeat suffered by the Golden Eaglets in the hands of the Croatians in yesterday’s final match of the group stage at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015 at Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso in Coquimbo, did not go down well with Coach Emmanuel Amuneke.

Though the team still tops the group A table with six points, followed by the Croats, who have five points and the host Chile with four points. The United States team however finished bottom of the log.

In a post-match conference, Amuneke said the Croats deserved their victory.

Speaking to his players on his displeasure over the result yesterday, Amuneke said: “This is the World Cup and we can’t play as bunch of friends and expect to win.


“We refused to play today and our body language was so disappointing and unprofessional. We thank God we are already through to the next round and that means we have to redouble our efforts and prepare well for our next game on Wednesday,” he noted.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Guardian yesterday on the Golden Eaglets’ result against the Croats, former handler of the Golden Eaglets, Coach Henry Nwosu, said he never expected the Eaglets to get anything from the match in the first place.

According to him: “The team did not play well even though they scored first. Right at the beginning of the match, the boys could barely make two to three passes. Probably it is due to the fact that they had already qualified. Definitely, I am not surprised that they did not win the match.”