Izuchukwu OkosiNigeria’s U-20 men’s national team, Aliyu Zubairu has accepted the blames for the semifinals defeat against the Amajitas of South Africa in Thursday’s clash at the Suez Canal stadium, Ismaili, Egypt.
A second half goal by the South Africans settled the contest with the Eagles now set to face Egypt in the third final for the bronze medal on Sunday.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSouth Africa and Morocco will battle for the top prize in the final.
Zubairu addressed the media in the aftermath of the semifinals games and revealed that some of the players have not impressed with their below par performances.
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“This tournament has helped us to identify the players capable of stepping up to the next level and those who are not.
“After our WAFU B success, we dropped many players because their quality wasn’t sufficient for the continental stage. A similar review will happen again. It’s clear that some of the current squad members aren’t ready for the demands of a World Cup,” Zubairu noted.
Ahead of the third-place playoff on Sunday, the coach who also handles El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri assured of improvement in their game.
“We will regroup and approach the game with the seriousness it deserves.”
On the team’s struggles to score goals in the tournament, the coach added:
“Out biggest problem has been poor finishing. We’ve created chances but failed to convert them.
“Everyone knows Kparobo Arierhi is a clinical striker, and we have relied on him heavily.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t deliver here. That said, he remains a quality player – this just wasn’t his tournament,” Zubairu told the media.
Nigeria are seven-time African champions in the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. The Flying Eagles versus Egypt game will kick off at 4pm Nigerian time on Sunday evening.
All semifinalists – Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Morocco will represent Africa at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
