Having qualified for the quarter finals of the Rio Olympic Games Men’s football, the Nigeria’s U-23 team is set to maintain their 100% winning record against Colombia in their last group B match at the Corinthians Arena on Wednesday (11pm Nigerian time).
The Dream Team are top of the group with six points after beating Japan 5-4 in their opening fixture on Friday before a slim 1-0 win over Sweden on Sunday automatically sealed the team’s quarter final tickets regardless of the result against Colombia.
Still on two points, Colombia drew 2-2 against Sweden and 2-2 against Japan; needing a victory in their final group match against Nigeria to have any slight chance of qualifying from the group considering the fact that a win for either Japan or Sweden could end their Olympic dream. If Japan wins they would be on four points and if Sweden wins they will also be on four points.
Nigeria will be relying on the striking prowess of Ogenekharo Etebo and Sadiq Umar who have both formed a twin partnership. The two players have scored six goals between them and will be poise to wreck the Colombians with their goals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, coach Samson Siasia has assured that his team will continue to take it one game at a time in the ongoing Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016.
“I think for me and the boys all we are doing now is taking it a game at a time, we are not bothered about the team we will be playing in the quarter finals, let’s play Colombia first and from there we will think of our opponents at that stage.
“The issue of the team I will prefer to play in the quarter final stage doesn’t arise now; what is uppermost in my mind is getting my boys focused for every game.”
Nigeria last won the Olympic Games in 1996 at Atlanta where the team defeated Argentina 3-2 in the final match to clinch Africa’s first gold medal.
