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Golden Eaglets’ Trip To China Revives Memories Of Nigeria’s Historic FIFA U16 World Cup Conquest In 1985

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Nigeria’s new look under-17 national team, Golden Eaglets’ flight to China on Thursday night is bound to revive memories of how the country’s pioneer teenagers’ squad won the maiden Cadet World Cup in the same country.

READ ALSO: Golden Eaglets Scheduled For Extensive Training Camp In China, Ahead Of WAFU-B U17 Championship

Sports247 reports that the Eaglets’ current squad is set to participate at an invitational competition in China almost 41 years after the first squad captained by Nduka Ugbade won the then FIFA U16 World Cup in August 1985.

A press release by the communications department of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) revealed that the Eaglets are scheduled to take part in a four-nation competition as part of their build-up to the impending West African Football Union (WAFU)-B U17 Championship.

The upcoming sub-regional competition will serve as qualifiers for the African U-17 Cup of Nations and ultimately the next Cadet Mundial, which Nigeria won in 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.

However, Nigeria did not qualify for the last two editions of the FIFA U17 World Cup, despite being the overall record holders with five conquests of the teenagers’ global football fiesta, starting with the under-16 version at China ’85.

Officials of the NFF will now aim to benefit from the team’s symbolic return to China 41 years affter as a source of motivation and inspiration for the new set of players, who will be boosted with stories about the heroics of Ugbade and his teammates at China ’85.

The NFF’s media statement added, “Five-time world champions, Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will depart the shores of the country on Thursday night for China, to participate in the four-nation China International Youth Football Tournament taking place in Yinchuan, 5th-11th July 2026.

“While the Chinese Football Association, Ningxia Hul Autonomous Region Administration of Sport and Yinchuan Municipal People’s Government are the hosts, the competition is organized by Ningxia Football Association in conjunction with the Yinchuan Sports Bureau, and promoted by the China Football Industry Development Corporation.

“The team of 20 players is led by Coach Uwejamomere Eboboritse, alongside his assistants Kalli Mohammed Kachalla and Abdullahi Isa. Hosts China, Australia and Tanzania are the other participating teams, with matches scheduled for the Yinchaun Sports Centre Helanshan Stadium.”

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LA 2028 Olympic Qualifiers: Toni Payne, Uchenna Kanu Hit Braces as Super Falcons Thrash Comoros 5-0, Advance 7-0 on Aggregate

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Nigeria’s Super Falcons produced a commanding performance to defeat Comoros 5-0 in the second leg of their 2028 Olympic Games qualifying encounter on Tuesday, completing an emphatic 7-0 aggregate victory to advance to the next round.

Sports247 reports that Toni Payne and Uchenna Kanu were the standout performers, scoring twice each, while Christy Ucheibe added another goal as Nigeria demonstrated their attacking quality against the visitors.

The victory followed the Super Falcons’ 2-0 first-leg triumph at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State, giving Nigeria a comfortable advantage heading into the decisive encounter.

Despite entering the match with a two-goal cushion, the Super Falcons approached the second leg determined to extend their advantage rather than simply defend their first-leg result.

Their persistence eventually paid off in the 41st minute when Toni Payne broke the deadlock, putting Nigeria ahead and increasing their aggregate lead to 3-0.

The opening goal ensured that the Nigerian side entered the interval in a commanding position, leaving Comoros with an increasingly difficult task.

The Super Falcons returned for the second half with renewed attacking determination, producing four additional goals to complete an impressive victory.

Uchenna Kanu doubled Nigeria’s lead in the 57th minute before Payne completed her brace six minutes later, making it 3-0 on the day. Kanu then grabbed her second goal in the 67th minute, extending Nigeria’s advantage to four goals.

Christy Ucheibe completed the scoring in the 71st minute, putting the finishing touch on a dominant performance that underlined Nigeria’s superiority across both legs.

The five-goal victory also ensured that the Super Falcons finished the two-legged contest without conceding, recording consecutive clean sheets against Comoros. The result represented a successful outing for interim head coach Austin Eguavoen, who had emphasised the importance of winning rather than relying on Nigeria’s first-leg advantage.

Speaking before the encounter, Eguavoen stressed that maintaining the team’s structure remained his priority, although he welcomed the possibility of scoring more goals. His players responded with an impressive attacking display, scoring five times while maintaining their defensive discipline.

Kanu also delivered on her pre-match ambition after expressing confidence in the squad’s ability to secure another convincing victory.

With Comoros eliminated 7-0 on aggregate, Nigeria will now turn their attention to Morocco in the next round of the qualification campaign.

The upcoming encounter represents another important challenge as the Super Falcons continue their pursuit of a place at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

For Nigeria, the comprehensive victory provides a significant confidence boost ahead of the tougher assignments expected in subsequent rounds.

Five goals, two braces, two clean sheets and a 7-0 aggregate triumph — the Super Falcons have delivered a strong statement of intent as their Olympic qualification journey continues.

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NNPC’s profit after tax rises to N431bn in August

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) says it recorded a 54.5 per cent increase in Profit After Tax (PAT), rising from N279 billion to N431 billion in August 2026.

NNPC Ltd. made this known in its monthly operations and financial report for the month of August 2026.

According to the report, revenue for the period stood at N3.74 trillion as against N3.09 trillion recorded in July.

It said the company also recorded a 19.89 per cent increase in cumulative statutory payments, from N7.91 trillion for January to July, amounting to N9.49 trillion from January to August.

The report puts the average crude oil and gas production figures for the period at 1.69 million barrels per day (bpd) and 7,680 million standard cubic feet per day, respectively.

ALSO READ: NNPC posts ₦535 billion profit, records 1.72 million barrels daily oil output in June

On the state of infrastructure, it said there was 100 per cent availability of upstream pipelines, while the OB3 and Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipelines stood at 100 per cent and 95 per cent completion, respectively.

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