Manu Garba’s boys carved out a well-deserved 3-0 victory a few days ago but couldn’t replicate the same form tonight as they fell to a lone goal defeat to the Baby Elephants of South Africa
The Golden Eaglets lacked the cutting edge in attack and were sloppy in defence, letting the Ivorians secure a final spot against Burkina Faso.
Here are the five takeaways from the encounter as compiled by Soccernet.ng.
1. Lack of clinicality in attack.
Nigeria started the game well, but as time went on, they couldn’t perform as a team in attack. Either passes were overhit or underhit. The resulting attempts from these passes weren’t great as well, it was almost like the players had heavy legs and were unable to shoot the ball well.
2. Sloppiness in defence.
Time after time, attack after attack, the Ivorians seemed to have a physical advantage over Manu Garba’s defenders. They were caught out of position a few times and lacked confidence on the ball when they had it.
3. Nigeria will play against Ghana in the third-place fixture.
The Golden Eaglets’ loss to Ivory Coast means the Baby Elephants will play against Burkina Faso in the WAFU B U-17 CAF final, while Nigeria will play against Ghana in the third place.
4. Nigeria will not participate in the 2025 AFCON U-17 tournament.
The Golden Eaglets will not participate in the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which is the prerequisite tournament for the 2025 U-17 FIFA World Cup because they couldn’t reach the final. The AFCON tickets will go to the finalists, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
5. Nigeria need more creative midfielders.
Throughout the competition, talents have been abundant, but one key element has been absent, and that is the presence of a midfielder who can control games and create chances out of nothing. With a talented box to box player, the team should be able to do better next time.