WAFU B: U20 AFCON Ticket Thrills Bosso

WAFU B: U20 AFCON Ticket Thrills Bosso

By Our Reporter

Flying Eagles head coach, Ladan Bosso said Nigeria has nothing to lose when they face the Junior Squirrels of Benin Republic in the final of the WAFU-UFOA Zone B qualifiers slated for Saturday in Niamey, Niger Republic.

Speaking  after the hard earned 2-1 extra time victory over Cote ‘d’ Ivoire in the semi-final on Tuesday, Bosso , disclosed he was thrilled to have got the minimum target by qualifying for the Africa Under 20 Cup of Nations slated for Egypt.

He hinted the Flying Eagles would be confident going into the final game against Junior Squirrels after securing a ticket to the AFCON , adding it would be a national pride to take the trophy back to Nigeria.

“I am a coach that study competition and not just a game. Despite our short period in camp, we planned to win our first game because if we win our first match, we are almost sure of qualifying for the semi-final stage,” Bosso said.

“After winning the first game we know that we just needed an additional point at least in the second game. We got it right. After we qualified for the semi-final we believe that we must target a win because losing at that stage is like not qualifying from the group stage.

“We had to put our heads together to get a win against Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) .

“The primary objective is to get the slot to the Africa Under 20 Cup of Nations and we have got it.

“The final is not a priority and after the game with Benin Republic we shall go back home and prepare well for the Under 20 AFCON.

“Winning is not everything but we want to win so that we can go back home with pride. We have got the platform now and we shall head back home to prepare very well for the Nations Cup,” he noted.

Goals from Daniel Daga and Ibrahim Yahaya helped the Flying Eagles overcome the Junior Elephants after extra time inside Stade General Seyni Kountche, Niamey.

Nigeria will now face Benin Republic in the final billed for Friday. The Junior Squirrels overcame Burkina Faso 2-1 earlier in the day.

Egypt 2023 is the 17th edition of the U20 AFCON and the top four teams will qualify for the 2023 Fifa World Cup slated for Indonesia.