The last time the U-17 African Cup of Nations trophy came home to Nigeria was 16 years ago, in 2007, when the Eaglets scored after extra time to beat Togo.
Since then, we have gotten to finals in 2013, and semi-finals in 2015 and 2019, losing on all occasions.
After Nigeria’s 3-2 thriller against South Africa which saw the Eaglets qualify for the quarter-finals, the boss, Nduka Ugbade, is optimistic about his team’s chances of success.
He was delighted to see his side finally firing well to score three goals, having struggled to find the back of the net in their first two games despite creating so many chances.
We worked a bit in training and we did some corrections. We realized that it was purely psychological and we talked to the players and we saw an improvement today. We might have conceded two but I am glad we scored three.”
Abubakar Abdullahi scored the winner for the Golden Eaglets as they twice came from behind to clinch maximum points and finish second in Group B, behind group winners Morocco.
As runners-up, Nigeria will now take on the second-placed team from Group C, either Burkina Faso or Cameroon, in the quarter-finals in their quest to quench a 16-year wait for the title and earn a record-extending third crown.
Do the boys have what it takes to get over the line?
cc: cafonline
