Nigeria U20 head coach Abdu Maikaba wants his side to improve defensively ahead of Wednesday’s U20 WAFU B semi-final game against hosts Cote d’Ivoire, www.aclsports.com reports.
The Flying Eagles secured a place in the last four with wins over Ghana and Togo, but they fell short in the last group game against Burkina Faso. Consequently, they finished second and will now face Les Éléphanteaux for a place in next year’s U20 AFCON in Ghana.
Nigeria only kept a clean sheet in their three group games, condeding four goals in total. On the other hand, the hosts are yet to concede in the competition and they have an 100% going for them.
Maikaba, while speaking during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, agreed that his team failed to defend properly in the previous game, stressing that they need to do better if they want to win the game on Wednesday at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro.
“We need to improve on our defensive approach to the game, most especially in our last game we conceded two goals from similar situations, and we are not happy about that,” Maikaba said to newsmen.
“We have taught the players on how to defend such balls. Sometimes during the course of the game they do forget and make little mistakes which will cost us the game.
“We will make sure that we address them very well and make sure they concentrate all through the game, and not make such silly mistakes in the semi-final stage,” the former Wikki Tourists head coach concluded.
Victory for the Flying Eagles will send them to Sunday’s final, where triumph will not only ensure they retain their WAFU B U20 trophy, but also qualify them for next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations alongside host nation Ghana.
