Friendly ends in stalemate

Nigeria's Super Eagles
and their Nigerien
counterparts, the Mena,
fired blanks in an
international friendly in
Niamey on Wednesday.
The Mena started off
better and almost went
in front just five
minutes into the game
when Boubacar Talatou
tried to chip the ball
past Super Eagles'
goalkeeper and captain,
Chigozie Agbim.
The Warri Wolves'
custodian recovered
from a slip to save his
side and collided with
the woodwork.
Agbim was attended to
by the medics as
Stephen Keshi watched
with worry from the
sidelines.
Inside the opening 15
minutes the Nigerien
trio of Isoufou
Boubacar, Sidibe Modibo
and Mohammed
Soumaila peppered the
Nigerian goal with their
attacking football
leaving Azubuike
Egwuekwe, Papa Idris
and Juwon Oshaniwa
with lots of work to do.
Nigeria got another
scare after Egwuekwe
hit the ground heavily in
a bid to clear a goal-
bound move and was
taken out on a
stretcher.
The Super Eagles then
took charge of the
remaining 25 minutes
with Uche Kalu's
attempt from a free
kick blocked, followed
by two other chances
from at goal.
Enugu Rangers' winger,
Ejike Uzoenyi turned in a
good pass after a mazy
run into the path of
Sunday Mba, who
blasted wide.
Niger Republic's stand-in
coach, Frederic Acosta,
made six changes inside
20 minutes of the
restart but Nigeria
remained the better
side.
The Mena almost went
in front when Kalilou
Dawouda chipped the
ball over Agbim, who
was forced to make a
one-handed save to
keep his side in the
game.
Umar Zango, Philip
Asuquo, Sibi Gwar and
Sanusi Sani got their
international debuts for
Nigeria when Keshi sent
them into the game.
Asuquo immediately
took charge of the
midfield with his
creative spark leaving
the hosts with no
solution to his silky
skills.
Gwar, Gabriel Reuben
and Sani had goal-
scoring opportunities to
see off the Nigeriens
late on but fluffed
them, as the game
ended goalless inside
the Stade General Seyni
Kountche in Niamey.
Both teams used the
game as a tune-up
ahead of the first leg
clash with their
opponents in final round
of the 2013 Africa Cup
of Nations.