{"id":839387,"date":"2025-04-06T12:12:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T17:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/06\/nigeria-u20-gk-keeps-first-professional-clean-sheet-as-race-begins-to-become-super-eagles-no-1\/"},"modified":"2025-04-06T12:12:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T17:12:14","slug":"nigeria-u20-gk-keeps-first-professional-clean-sheet-as-race-begins-to-become-super-eagles-no-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/06\/nigeria-u20-gk-keeps-first-professional-clean-sheet-as-race-begins-to-become-super-eagles-no-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria U20 GK keeps first professional clean sheet as race begins to become Super Eagles No.1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Nigeria+U20\">Nigeria U20<\/a> goalkeeper <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Aniagboso\">Chijioke Aniagboso<\/a> recorded a major career milestone on Saturday, keeping his first clean sheet as a professional in Chornomorets Odesa\u2019s hard-fought 1-0 home victory over LNZ Cherkasy in the Ukrainian Premier League, <a href=\"https:\/\/Soccernet.ng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The match, played at the Stadion Chornomorets in Odesa, marked a personal breakthrough for Aniagboso, who had been waiting patiently for a proper first-team opportunity since joining the club last year.<\/p>\n<p>Trusted with a starting role in a struggling Chornomorets side rooted to the foot of the table, the 20-year-old delivered a composed and commanding performance between the sticks.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155855\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155855\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/FxYtGRVWcAA3B7v.jpeg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria and Chornomorets goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso\" width=\"680\" height=\"659\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155855\">Nigeria and Chornomorets goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was Aniagboso\u2019s first start since debuting last September in a 1-1 draw \u2014 ironically also against Cherkasy.<\/p>\n<p>The Nigerian shot-stopper had since been sidelined in favour of 32-year-old Ukrainian goalkeeper Artur Rudko, but a string of poor results and a defensive crisis opened the door for Aniagboso\u2019s return to the starting XI.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155854\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155854\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/FxUSBTmWACYNvO_.jpeg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria and Chornomorets goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso. \" width=\"449\" height=\"597\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155854\">Nigeria and Chornomorets goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The victory was just Chornomorets\u2019 fifth of the season and ended a dismal 13-match run with only one win and no clean sheets. With Aniagboso in goal, the defence looked far more assured, helping the team to a vital three points that lifted them off the bottom of the table and up to 18 points\u2014three away from safety.<\/p>\n<p>This landmark moment is the latest in Aniagboso\u2019s rising career.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p>\u2014 Africa Soccer Zone (@AfricaSoccer_zn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AfricaSoccer_zn\/status\/1636660506466328578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 17, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VagMHLcA89MZvw0Btc21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Our Sports News First \u2013 Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/h4>\n<p><strong>READ MORE\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2023\/02\/nigeria-u20-1-0-egypt-u20-agbalakas-towering-header-hands-flying-eagles-first-afcon-win.html\">Nigeria U20 1-0 Egypt U20: Agbalaka\u2019s towering header hands Flying Eagles first Afcon win<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2023\/02\/senegal-u20-1-0-nigeria-u20-flying-eagles-quest-for-8th-afcon-title-suffers-early-stumble.html\">Senegal U20 1 \u2013 0 Nigeria U20: Flying Eagles\u2019 quest for 8th Afcon title suffers early stumble<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>He was Nigeria\u2019s first-choice goalkeeper at the 2023 U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where he kept four clean sheets in five matches \u2014 including the 4-0 bronze medal win over Tunisia \u2014 helping the Flying Eagles to a third-place finish and qualification for the <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=U20+World+club\">FIFA U20 World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tunisia ???? Nigeria Highlights - #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 3RD Place\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z5R7uZguBY4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>At the tournament in Argentina, Aniagboso again proved dependable, starring in Nigeria\u2019s wins over Italy and host nation Argentina, keeping clean sheets in both encounters as the team progressed to the quarter-finals before losing narrowly to South Korea after extra time.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p>\u2014 David CL Mikel Okoye (@007Supernerd) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/007Supernerd\/status\/1661482702263185408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 24, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>His performances earned him a move to Europe later in 2023, initially joining Ukrainian side Polissya, before a loan spell at PFC Zvyagel, and finally sealing a permanent transfer to Chornomorets in September.<\/p>\n<p>With the Super Eagles\u2019 No.1 shirt still up for grabs, Aniagboso\u2019s progress will be closely monitored.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155852\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155852\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/imago1025577402-750x500.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria and Chornomorets goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso.\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155852\">Nigeria and Chornomorets goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso (Centre). Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nigeria\u2019s current first-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali came under scrutiny following the team\u2019s underwhelming 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in a World Cup qualifier last month, while the alternatives \u2014 Kayode Bankole and Amas Obasogie \u2014 remain largely untested at international level.<\/p>\n<p>If Aniagboso continues his upward trajectory, he could emerge as a strong contender to lead the line for Nigeria at major tournaments in the near future. His next opportunity comes when Chornomorets travel to Obolon Kyiv, who sit 13th, next weekend.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Soccer Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DSC_0327-copy-150x150.jpg\"  height=\"80\" width=\"80\">\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/imhonlamhen-eronmhonsele\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.<\/p>\n<p>From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/04\/nigeria-super-eagles-no-1.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Nigeria U20 goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso recorded a major career milestone on Saturday, keeping his first clean sheet as a professional in Chornomorets Odesa\u2019s hard-fought 1-0 home victory over LNZ Cherkasy in the Ukrainian Premier League, Soccernet.ng reports. The match, played at the Stadion Chornomorets in Odesa, marked a personal breakthrough for Aniagboso, who had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":839388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2090,27096,2005],"tags":[8214,15956],"class_list":{"0":"post-839387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-keeps","8":"category-nigeria","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-keeps","11":"tag-nigeria"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/839388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}