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Silver Lining after Golden Eaglets ' 1:0 Wafu Semi final Defeat to Ivory Coast

Writer's picture: adeola bankoleadeola bankole

Nigeria crashed out of qualification for the U-17 Afcon and World Cup after Wafu 1:0 semi final defeat to Ivory Coast this weekend.


Even if the Golden Eaglets had been better prepared for the tournament, they could still have lost yesterday's match. It was truly an encounter of narrow margins.


Manu Garba's boys had a decent tournament. They aced their group stage but only fell short to a luckier Ivory Coast on the day.


Luckier, yes luckier. It's not that the Golden Eaglets didn't create scoring opportunities, their chances just failed to hit the back of net.



Okay I thought the Golden Eaglets were poor in the first half as they allowed themselves to placed under intolerable pressure at the back. But they roused from their slumber and picked up the pace in the second half but Ivory Coast defended with their lives to retain their slim lead.


These boys showed a lot of promise and created some truly memorable and fabulous moments in the tournament. If Ladan Bosso is serious he will keep tabs on the bulk of these players and swiftly migrate them into the next Flying Eagles outfit.


Much appreciation to the Golden Eaglets for not putting Nigeria to shame. They gelled as a team with sparks of individual brilliance here and there. They showed me that with a extensive scouting exercise and robust planning and preparation, Nigeria still has exciting talents at this level.


Winning at all costs in U-17 football should never be the overarching objective.


As I mentioned earlier, I look forward to seeing many of these fabulous lads in the next Flying Eagles and Under 23 squads with some hopefully fast tracked to the Homebase Super Eagles.


Thanks Manu Garba and the boys.

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