On Saturday, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets are set to clash with Burkina Faso in their concluding Group B match at the WAFU B U17 Championship held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire. Head coach Manu Garba confidently asserts that his youthful squad is prepared to elevate their performance once more, according to Soccernet.ng.
The five-time world champions began their tournament impressively, dominating Benin Republic with a wafu-b-womens-champions-league-bayelsa-queens-usfa-semis/” title=”… B Women's … League Showdown: Bayelsa Queens and USFA Face Off in Thrilling Semifinals!”>4-1 victory, netting all four goals within the opening 35 minutes.
This commanding triumph has fueled Garba’s confidence ahead of the encounter with the Baby Stallions.
“In any competitive tournament, every team aims to secure victory in each match, and Nigeria is no exception. Our goal is to win all our games here, as doing so will crown us champions of the WAFU-B once again, which is where this team truly belongs,” Garba stated during Friday’s media briefing.
“We intend to compete fairly within the rules of the game, but our primary focus is to claim victory against Burkina Faso,” he added.
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Garba, who masterminded Nigeria’s U17 World Cup triumph in 2013, acknowledged that this current squad is still in the developmental phase, with none of the players having participated in the previous WAFU B U17 Championship held in Ghana.
“The team performed admirably against Benin Republic, especially considering it was their first international outing. Many of these players had never flown on an airplane before arriving here in Côte d’Ivoire. This is a fresh group, entirely different from the one that competed in the last WAFU B U17 Championship,” he remarked.
Additionally, Garba confirmed that the team captain, who was substituted after sustaining an elbow injury to the chest during the match against Benin, has fully recovered and is ready to take on Burkina Faso.
The kickoff is scheduled for 4pm Nigerian time at the Stade Lycee Scientifique in Yamoussoukro.
Both Nigeria and Burkina Faso have already secured their spots in the semi-finals after each defeating Benin, but the battle for the top position in Group B remains.
A draw will suffice for the Golden Eaglets to claim first place based on goal difference, following Burkina Faso’s slim 1-0 victory over Benin. Finishing atop the group would also help Nigeria avoid facing the host nation, Côte d’Ivoire, in the semi-finals, as the Young Elephants have impressively won their matches against Niger and Ghana.
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