Nigeria U20 captain Muhammed claims Ivorian players begged him to miss penalty

Flying Eagles skipper Musa Muhammed said Cote d’Ivoire players begged him to throw away his second-half penalty in Saturday’s final AYC Group A match in Mbour.

The penalty goal, the third by the right fullback at Senegal 2015, drew the Flying Eagles level at 2-2 and eventually eliminated the Ivorians from the tournament.

“The players including the goalkeeper begged me to miss the penalty, saying we are all champions and we should play for each other,” Musa revealed.

“But I remained focused and professional to score the penalty and earn us a draw, which was a sweet revenge for the two losses we suffered at the hands of the Ivorian U17 team two years ago in Morocco. Most of the players from that tournament were also here in Senegal.”

He added: “In morocco, we were against both Cote d’Ivoire and the referee. They kicked us so much that at a time (Isaac) Success wanted to be replaced.”

Nigeria await the runners-up in Group B, which could either be Mali or Ghana, for Wednesday’s semifinal in Dakar.

“I have seen here in Senegal at least six players from the Mali U17 team we played against two years ago in a qualifying match for the 2013 CAF U17 Championship,” said the Flying Eagles star defender.

“They are very big and powerful players but we will be ready for them on Wednesday.”

Two years ago, the Golden Eaglets led by Musa beat Mali 2-0 in Calabar before the dumped them 3-0 in Bamako in the reverse fixture to qualify for the 2013 U17 Championship.