Nigeria #NGR To Begin #Rio2016 #Olympics Football Quest Against Japan #JPN
Nigeria Dream Team VI will begin their Olympic football quest with an opening day fixture against Japan at the Amazon Arena on Friday morning.
This is Nigeria’s 7th appearance and Samson Siasia’s side will be hoping to replicate the success of their compatriots who won gold in 1996 at the Atlanta Games.
Nigeria last played in this competition at the Beijing 2008 Games when Siasia led the side to a silver medal win after losing the final to Argentina. They missed out on qualification for the 2012 games in London.
Japan’s best ever finish in the Olympics football event is the fourth placed in London 2012games.
Both teams are qualified as U-23 continental champions in their respective confederations.
Nigeria is said to enjoy a superior record over Japan at the Olympics, as the two teams have played each other 3 times at this stage, with Nigeria having the upper hand, having won twice while Japan had a 3-1 victory at the 1968 Mexico Olympic games.
The Nigeria Dream Team flight to Brazil from Atlanta is said to arrive hours before the match against Japan via a chartered flight en route for Manaus.
While William Troost-Ekong is the only member of the squad that has arrived in Manaus for the Olympic Games, hours ahead of the rest of the Nigeria U23 team.
The game is set for the wee hours of August 5 (2am) as they attempt to win Olympic gold 20 years after their illustrious seniors won the title in Atlanta.
(Parts:Goal.com)
