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Nigeria Beats South Africa 3-0, Picks Africa's 3rd Ticket to Olympic Football

Nigeria Today
3/27/08

Nigeria's Dream Team IV Wednesday beat visiting South Africa 3-0 to win a ticket to the men's football event of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Two of the goals came via Taiye Taiwo and Victor Anichebe, who was making his debut for Nigeria. The third was an own goal by a South African defender as he tried to clear the ball from his team's vital area.

Nigeria finished group A of the qualifiers with 8 points, followed by Ghana with 7 and South Africa with one. Ahead of the crunch game, the Nigerian players were promised US$4,000 each for a win. Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon have already secured Africa's two other tickets to the Olympics. Nigeria became the first African nation to win the Olympics football gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Nigeria's female national team, the Super Falcons, has already qualified for the Biejing Games, meaning Nigeria will field men's and women's football teams in China.

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May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Nigerian Papers Hail U-23 Football Team after Olympic Qualification

Nigeria Today
28th March '08

Local newspapers Thursday hailed the qualification of Nigeria's Under-23 national football team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, saying it paves the way for the country to repeat its gold-medal-winning feat at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The ''Dream Team IV'', as the team is known, beat its South African counterpart 3-0 in their last group A qualifier in the capital city of Abuja Wednesday to pick Africa's third and last ticket to the Olympics.

''Taiwo, Anichebe give Nigeria Olympic ticket'' was the headline in the Punch newspaper, in reference to the goals scored by defender Taye Taiwo and Victor Anichebe, the English premiership player who was making his debut for Nigeria. ''Nigeria's U-23 lands in Beijing'' (Guardian); ''Dream Team IV seals Beijing ticket for Nigeria'' (Sun); "Nigeria flies to Beijing, picks Olympic ticket'' (The Nation) and ''Nigeria smashes South Africa 3-0, picks Olympic ticket" (Leadership) were some of the headlines. Nigeria joined Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon as the three teams that will fly Africa's flag at the Beijing Olympics. In addition to its men's team, Nigeria will also feature a women's football team - Super Falcons - at the Games. Nigeria became the first African nation to win an Olympic soccer gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, US.

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May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm