Golden Eaglets coach Nduka Ugbade has stated that their inability to take their chances in front of goal was the reason for their loss to Burkina Faso on Thursday.
Nigeria was knocked out of the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations after a 2-1 loss to Burkina Faso. Aboubacar Camara scored twice for Burkina Faso, while Abubakar Abdullahi scored the consolation for Nigeria.
However, the Golden Eaglets’ could have scored more than one. They dictated play for most of the fixture and missed a plethora of chances, and that was their biggest problem in the competition.
Burkina Faso however, needed just a few chances before they got their two goals.
The loss did not stop Nigeria’s run in the tournament, it also automatically ended their chances of qualifying for the World Cup later this year.
Coach Nduka Ugbade was disappointed with his boys’ loss, and he shared his thoughts.
“The players are disappointed of course because they are young but we must support them because they need to continue their careers,” Ugbade told CAF Media.
“We should work on their development because I believe that some of these players will eventually move to the senior national team.
“I am happy with the performance of our players and in such competitions, even if you lose; you gain something by developing the players for the future.”
“Everything worked as we had planned, but we could not score with the chances we had. We paid dearly for that. We learn the lessons and move on,” he said.
Burkina Faso will play Senegal in the semifinal of the Under-17 AFCON on Sunday.
