The Nigerians defeated Cameroon's Cubs 3-2 in a spectacular showpiece game at the Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg.
A fantastic second-half fight back by Cameroon saw the game finish 2-2 after 90 minutes.
A well-taken effort by Sharks midfielder, Terry Envoh, seconds into first half of extra time however proved to be the difference between the two sides as Nigeria claimed a record sixth AYC title at the expense of the only side to have beaten them in the competition.
The Flying Eagles bossed the possession and had the lion's share of clear-cut opportunities to signal their intentions of exacting revenge following the 1-0 reverse suffered at the hands the Cameroonians at the preliminary stages of the competition.
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| Terna Suswan |
The Cubs started the brighter of the two sides with crisp passing and incisive movement. However, lack of imagination in the final third coupled with an alarming lack of precision in front of goal meant it was even Stevens at the half way point of the half.
. At this stage, the Nigerians were gradually coming into the game with Chidi Osuchukwu, Abduljelil Ajagun and Olarenwaju Kayode finding their bearing with some neat play and nifty footwork.
Predictably, the Flying Eagles began to create openings with Daniel Philemon, Gbenga Arokoyo and Kayode all coming close as the first half came to a frenetic halt.
. Nigeria continued to dominate at the restart and came close to breaking the deadlock on 62 minutes but Cameroonian keeper, Kenguep reacted quickly to stave off a great header from Osuchukwu.
With the pressure mounting on the Cubs', it was only a matter of time before the Eagles struck the vital blow and they did, in emphatic fashion, on 75 minutes.
Kayode, who had been a threat all afternoon, finally sprung the offside trap. Faced with Kenguep, the youngster showed remarkable composure as he rifled into the top corner with frightening force to give Nigeria a 1-0 advantage.
As the Cameroonians poured forward in search of the equalizer, the side with the one goal advantage broke quickly and won a penalty as Kenguep upended Kayode in the box.
Enugu Rangers forward stepped forward to put Nigeria into a 2-0 lead, and claiming his 4th goal of the tournament .
With the title seemingly in the bag, the Nigerians conspired to produce a collapse of monumental proportions.
Well-taken goals by Frank Ohandza (82) and Edgar Sally (85) saw the Cubs muster a most unlikely comeback to peg the scores at 2-2 and throw the Cameroonian fans in the Stadium into fits of delirium.
The drama continued in extra time as substitute Terry Envoh put Nigeria back in the lead with the see-saw contest continuing to leave the spectators spell bound.
Cameroon refused to lie down and die and only some heroic goal keeping by Dami Paul, who produced an astonishing double save in the 110th minute, saw the Nigerians cling on to their slim lead.
A game with so many twists and turns was never going to be complete without a red a card and it duly arrived on 102 minutes. Nigeria's goalscoring hero, Kayode was the man with the dubious honour as he was issued the marching orders after picking up a second yellow card.
The young Nigerians, now with a numerical disadvantage, had to defend heroically with ten men in the final minutes.
Cameroonian continued to search for the crucial goal that would take the game to penalties but the Nigerians held on to seal a remarkable victory and a record sixth AYC title.
Source -http://Supersport.com
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