AFCON U-17 : Why Light Eke Missed The Penalty - Coach

A coach of the Golden Eaglets has explained the difficulties faced by the team during their AFCON U-17 opener.

The Golden Eaglets on Sunday entertained the Zambia U-17 at the Mohammed Hamaloui Stadium Constantine, for the first match of the group.

And the game which ended in favour of Nigeria, saw the Golden Eaglets miss a lot of goal-scoring opportunities.

After the first half ended in stalemate, Coach Nduka Ugbade, may have had a change of plan which resulted in the Eaglets scoring the only goal of the fixture.

Playmaker, Favour Daniel reacted first to a lose ball in the Zambian box, to score in the 76th minute.

And in a chat with npflupdates correspondent, a coach of the team who do not want his name in prints made some revelations.

And according to the coach, the type of ball they used in training ahead of the tourney isn’t same with that used for the fixture.

The Golden Eaglets Did Their Best At The AFCON U-17 Opener

“The boys really tried, take my words for it. The boys did a very good job,” he said.

“Imagine training with a particular type of ball. And then you see another, white different to what you’re familiar with.

“Yes, their finish was poor in the begining. But they played according to instructions. Some complained they don’t shoot in the box. And that was tactics, but the Zambians fell back, and soaked up pressure.”

Meanwhile, a defender, Yahaya Lawali, who won the MVP award for the Sunday fixture, dedicated it to his teammates.

Yahaya Lawali with his AFCON U-17 MVP Award — Yahaya Lawali with AFCON U-17 MVP Award

“I am really delighted and this means a lot to me. Being named man of the match in the first game for the team is a massive encouragement,” Lawal said and was quoted by CAF Online.

He added; “This is not my trophy though. It belongs to the team; the coaches, the staff and my teammates. We all worked hard for this.”

And speaking further, Lawali confirmed that the Zambians are a tough opponent.

“It was a really tough game because Zambia are a good side. The little details gave us a win today. We scored when it mattered most and we defended well. It has given us motivation for the next game,” he retorted.

Nigeria will come up against Morocco on Tuesday. And a win against the North Africans, will see the Golden Eaglets qualify for the next round of the competition.

Their last group game will be against perennial rival South Africa, next weekend.