Golden Eaglets fullback Yahaya Lawali was named the Man of the Match in Nigeria’s opening 2023 U-17 AFCON game against Zambia.
After winning the award, the Nigerian right-back thanked his teammates for their support.
Favour Daniel’s goal in the second half gave Nigeria a 1-0 victory over Zambia on Sunday at the Mohamed Hamloui Stadium in Constantine, Algeria.
After Light Eke’s failed late penalty, the Golden Eaglets maintained a slim lead to win their opening match and move atop Group B.
Yahaya Lawali won the game’s Man of the Match award for his impressive performance down the right wing for the Golden Eaglets.
The award made him quite happy, and he believes it would inspire him to play even better in the upcoming game.
“I am really delighted and this means a lot to me. Being named Man of The Match in the first game for the team is a massive encouragement,” Lawal told CAF Online.
He added; “This is not my trophy though. It belongs to the team; the coaches, the staff, and my teammates. We all worked hard for this.”
On the performance of the Golden Eaglets against Zambia, Yahaya Lawali who is contracted to the Mahanaim FC, said, “It was a really tough game because Zambia are a good side. The little details gave us a win today. We scored when it mattered most and we defended well. It has given us motivation for the next game”.
The Golden Eaglets’ next game in the tournament will come on against Morocco Under-17 on Wednesday, May 3. The game will kick off at 5 PM WAT.
