Former Nigeria Super League Champions Niger Flickers yesterday were beaten by Butali Warriors in an international friendly played at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi. The game was part of a training tour being embarked by the Nigerian-based club in preparations for the upcoming Africa Cup for Club Champions.
The match was a preparatory grounds for both clubs who will be competing in the 2018 ACCC. It was the Kenyans who started the game well with numerous chances inside the opening minutes. The Flickers were able to soak the pressure in the opening stages with great and experienced defending.
The deadlock however was finally broken: Great passing coupled with excellent stick work and team work found Oburu Mtoto in the Flickers half who had no trouble slotting home the opener. It was all Butali after the opener mounting heaps of pressure on the Flickers.
The scoreline could have been 2-0 minutes later but Mtoto could not find the target this time around missing out narrowly. With that intense nature of pressure, the lead had to doubled. A penalty corner was awarded to the Warriors and expert Tonninho Nyukuri with a drag-flicked effort into the top right corner made it 2-0. Maarten Fonteijn completed the scores with a beautiful solo effort. 3-0 winners and the Warriors looked set and ready for Abuja.
Speaking after the game, Head Coach of Butali Warriors, Godfrey Wakachunga thanked Niger Flickers for a wonderful game and also his team for putting up a splendid performance. He further touched on his team’s readiness for the championship. “We played against a tough opposition and we are happy for the win. They played very well and aggressive especially in our half. We kept composure and our movement with the ball from all angles helped us a lot”, he said.
“We have some work to do, the ACCC has stronger teams but this is a good indicator for us”, he added. ” Our major concern for now is transition between defense and midfield and also our conversion of penalty corners”, he concluded.
The 2018 ACCC will be played from the 15th – 22nd December at the Abuja National Stadium, Nigeria.
