History is looming for the Golden Eaglets today as only the second country to retain the U17 World Cup should they beat their African counterparts Mali in the final.
The Golden Eaglets have already won the competition a record four times, but will go a step further if they successfully defend the trophy they won two years ago in Abu Dhabi.
Today’s showdown will be the second all-African FIFA U17 World Cup final since 1993, when Nigeria beat Ghana 2-1 at Japan ’93.
Head Coach of the Golden Eaglets, Emmanuel Amuneke said: “The Malians are the African champions, and we have to respect them. Aside that, they have also had a great tournament here in Chile. But we are a team who find a way to play and function no matter the difficulty posed by the opposition.
“When Sunday comes, we are going to play Mali and I think it is going to be an interesting match.
“We thank God, we are going to play the final again on Sunday and this gives us the opportunity to defend the trophy we won in 2013.”
