Flying Eagles winger Success Makanjuola has said he is not carried away by his winning the Man of the match award in the teamâ€
s impressive 1-1 draw against Ukraine on Thursday at ongoing FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Poland.
The Flying Eagles put up an improved performance in their crucial last group game against Ukraine to ensure they qualified for the knock out phase with Makanjuola enjoying his first start in the teamâ€s line-up.
Makanjuola who plies his trade with Water FC of Abuja before his invitation to the Flying Eagles, however, did not disappoint as he provided the assist for Tijani Muhammed with a well taken cross that led to the equalizing penalty.
Tijani eventually found the back of the net having missed a similar penalty in the first half.
A statement from the teamâ€s camp in Poland on Friday, quoted Makanjuola as saying “I am really not too bothered about individual accolade for now.
“I am concerned about helping the team to do well and am happy that the entire team put up a good fight and we achieved our goal which is making it to the knock out round.
“The knock out round is a different level all together, and so our focus now is to prepare well to make Nigerians happy because we know they were not happy when we lost to the U.S.
“We are not even thinking of the team we will play in the next round, we just want to be at our best when the match comes and the coaches are working hard to get us in perfect shape for the next round,� he said.
The fast rising winger was in the heart of the teamâ€s overall display against the Ukrainians with his constant deadly corner kicks, crosses and dribbling for the entire 87 minutes he was on the pitch.
Meanwhile, President of Elite football club of Abuja Taiwo Bankole has urged Coach Paul Aigbogun to stick to the starting eleven he used in the game against Ukraine.
“I strongly think the starting eleven against Ukraine is a better side compared to the starting eleven we had against the U.S.
“The coming in of the Akwa United player Okon in the midfield and Makanjuola in the attack gave the team more creativity and bite upfront.
“I think the team can still go far in the tournament if the coach gets his formation and tactics right,� Bankole said.
The post U-20: Flying Eagles Winger Makanjuola Targets Trophy Not Individual Award appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Source: Independent
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