Nigeria’s U20 MNT Head coach, Aliyu Zubairu has praised his Flying Eagles despite the 1–0 defeat to Norway in their opening match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
Speaking after the match, Zubairu said the team gave everything but was unlucky not to score despite dominating possession.
“The boys played their hearts out. They did everything humanly possible to make sure that we won the match. Even when we started, it was all our chances — hitting the uprights, hitting the bar. We were not lucky,” Zubairu said.
He stressed that controlling possession was not enough, as Nigeria failed to convert their opportunities.
“Possession doesn’t win matches. If one of the attempts we had had gone in, it probably would have changed the situation. But all the same, that is the way it comes. The boys did well.”
Looking ahead, Zubairu said focus will now shift to the second group game against Saudi Arabia, which he described as a must-win.
“We are going to think about the next match against Saudi Arabia. We just have to go for the three points at stake,” he concluded.
Nigeria are currently placed third in Group F after Colombia defeated Saudi Arabia in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Flying Eagles will look to secure maximum points when they take on the Asian side on Friday.
