On Sunday the two West African sides will clash at the Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar in what is only the second ever all-African final since Nigeria and Ghana clashed in Japan 22 years ago with the Eaglets winning 2-1.
Both Nigeria and Mali have flown the continent's flag with pride en route to Sunday's final and Amuneke enthused it would be a great day for African football yet again in Vina del Mar.
“African football has developed over the years and playing against Mali in the final of Chile 2015 shows that Africa is strong at this level,” said Amuneke.
The Golden Eaglets have in the run-up enjoyed favourable results at Estadio Sausalito in Vina del Mar where they crushed Chile 5-1 in their second group phase match, annihilated Australia 6-0 in the second round and battered Brazil 3-0 in the quarterfinal.
“On Sunday we will give a good account of ourselves in Vina del Mar which has been a good venue for us.
“The fans all over Chile have been friendly but we have a special feeling playing in Vina del Mar where we have many fans,” said the former Barcelona winger to www.thenff.com.
Yet Amuneke was not oblivious of the challenges ahead, adding that Mali who were crowned champions at the African U-17 Nations Cup in March are very strong side.
Incidentally, both countries did not meet in Niger Republic but the Eaglets can draw huge inspiration from their last encounters at the 2014 WAFU B Tournament in Togo where the Amuneke-led Eaglets beat Mali twice with an identical 2-0 scoreline.
“Yes, we met Mali in Togo but that was a long time ago. The final on Sunday will be special and we pray that God bless us with victory,” said Orji Okwonkwo who scored a goal each against the Malians on April 21 and 23, 2014.
Source: Super Sport
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