Nigeria Under-20 coach Abdu Maikaba believes the Flying Eagles should have scored far more than four goals after opening their WAFU B U-20 Championship title defence with a 4-2 win over Ghana in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, on Monday.
The Flying Eagles made a flying start in Maikaba’s first competitive match in charge, with Muiz Adeleke grabbing a brace, while Olayemi Ayinla and Oraro Lucky also found the net to hand Nigeria all three points against the Black Satellites.
Nigeria took the lead after just six minutes through Ayinla before Lucky doubled the advantage in the 30th minute.
Adeleke added a third just before the break to leave the defending champions firmly in control.
Ghana fought back with two goals to reduce the deficit and raise hopes of a comeback, but Adeleke converted an 89th-minute penalty to seal the win.
Despite the comfortable win, Maikaba felt his side failed to make the most of several clear-cut opportunities late in the game.
“If you see the last ten minutes of the game, we created about three or four scoring opportunities which we missed narrowly,” he said.
“I believe our boys were so anxious to make it count; that is why they lost such opportunities. They would have been calm in front of goal and converted such chances. It would have been more than four.”
The coach said Nigeria’s early breakthrough was no accident, revealing it was part of the tactical plan before kick-off.
“We planned that we have to try and score in the opening 15 minutes, and we got it in the first five. Ghana were able to come back, but we are still determined to continue with the lead,” Maikaba said.
“Anytime Nigeria is playing Ghana, it is a tough game. It can go either way, but scoring first gave us that advantage.”
The result keeps Nigeria on track for a third straight WAFU B U-20 Championship crown after lifting the trophy in 2022 and successfully defending it in 2024 with a 2-1 final victory over Ghana.
The Flying Eagles return to action against Togo on July 30 before completing their group fixtures against Burkina Faso on August 2. Both matches will kick off at 2pm local time, 3pm in Nigeria, at the Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro.
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