Nigeria’s Olympic football team yesterday cheated death on their way to Gambia for final preparation ahead African Under-23 Championship billed for Senegal.

The Dream Team VI opted for the fellow West African country after their trip to Morocco was cancelled owing to visa issues and eventually escaped a plane crash on their way.

A Goal report quoted one of the Nigeria Under-23 officials as saying that the pilot of the Arik Airline made an emergency landing in Accra, Ghana, due to unexpected technical difficulties to the aircraft and has since been left stranded in the Ghana capital.

“Thank God for his goodness and his mercies we escaped plane crash on our way to Gambia, the pilot had to make an emergency landing in Accra we are still in Accra,” a senior official of the team told Goal after the incident.

“We are still stranded here and we are yet to get any news from Arik officials.”

•Photo shows Dream Team VI.