Uche leads Nigeria to easy win
Reuters - Sunday 27 March 2011, 20:50
ABUJA - Forwards Peter Utaka and Ike
Uche scored twice as Nigeria beat Ethiopia 4-0 in their African
Nations Cup qualifier in Abuja on Sunday.
Utaka got a rare chance in Nigeria's starting line-up
because of injuries to Obafemi Martins and Peter Odemwingie, and
he wasted little time in taking advantage.
The younger brother of Montpellier's John Utaka opened the
scoring after a minute following good work by Victor Anichebe.
He rounded Ethiopia's keeper to add a second in the 55th
minute as Nigeria moved to within a point of Group B leaders
Guinea at the halfway stage of the 2012 qualifiers.
Utaka then made way for injury-plagued Uche, who missed last
year's World Cup because of a knee injury.
Uche took just seven minutes to mark his return with a goal
from close range.
Odemwingie, who had been ruled out on Friday, came on as a
second-half substitute and set up Uche's first goal, but a
hamstring injury kept Martins from playing.
Uche made it 4-0 with a long-range effort in the final
minute.