Collins Edwin SC wonderkid Samson Tijani scooped the Man of the Match accolade after the Golden Eaglets' hard fought 1-0 win over Angola on Wednesday afternoon.

In a post-match interview, Tijani acknowledged that he's leading by example and is inspired by the leadership skills of Super Eagles captain and Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel.

In truth, the Golden Eaglets captain did his best to keep pushing his teammates throughout the game, dropped back to help the defense and covered up the shortcomings of his teammates.

''Yes, I am leading by example. I get inspiration from my senior national team player in Nigeria, John Obi Mikel. I look up to him, how he leads the team,'' Tijani stated.

''He pushes his teammates, encourages them every time so they don't relax. ''

The Golden Eaglets have one foot in the semifinal of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations after recording their second successive win in the competition.

''I am very happy, I thank God for everything, God made it possible for us,'' Tijani added.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel