When they play South Africa on Saturday, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will try to secure a place in the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinal.
Saturday’s U-17 AFCON match between South Africa and Nigeria is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. (WAT).
The team led by coach Nduka Ugbade was devastated after Wednesday’s 0-1 defeat to Morocco in their second Group B match. Although they appeared to have controlled the game, they squandered a few opportunities, and an early own goal effectively ended their day.
“We controlled the game, but tactically Morocco controlled the outcome. We had a few errors, too, but we created a tonne of chances. The only issue is that we couldn’t score,” the coach remarked.
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The Nigerians play South Africa’s Amajimbos in their last group match on Saturday. With three points, they are currently second on the log. Although equal to them, their opponents are behind them due to a worse goal differential.
In the upcoming round of games, a draw would be sufficient for the West Africans to raise their flag, but Ugbade wants his squad to be merciless with a victory.
He stated in a pre-match briefing on Friday: “We are prepared for this,” adding that “we have a chance” against the South Africans.
He says that in order to accomplish that, the Golden Eaglets must become more ruthless, adding that although dominating and losing to Morocco “is not a strange thing, it is important to correct this.”
