GODEN Eaglets head coach Nduka Ugbade has insisted that his team must win the WAFU B U-17 Championship to prove they are the best side in the competition.
The Nigerian lads face Burkina Faso in the final of the tournament tomorrow at the Cape Coast Stadium in Ghana.
By reaching the final, the two teams have booked their spots in the 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Algeria but Ugbade wants more for his lads.
“We are going into the final match, and we are up against Burkina Faso, a team that has won all its four matches in this competition,” Ugbade, who captained Nigeria to win the inaugural edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in China 37 years ago, told his boys ahead of the regional final.
“We have also won our three matches here but we must win the fourth and final one to clinch the trophy.
“Let us not allow Burkina Faso to play five matches and win all five matches. We must work assiduously to win all our four matches here to be the only undefeated team of the tournament.”
Ugbade and the Golden Eaglets have received plaudits for their performances so far in Cape Coast after scoring 10 goals in their three matches, while conceding only four, with left-back Emmanuel Michael picking up the man-of-the-match award in each of the three games.
While Nigeria kept up their 100 percent record in three-team Group A with wins over Ghana and Togo, and a semi-final victory over Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso were also impressive in the four-team Group B that included Niger Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin Republic.
The Burkinabes beat all their group opponents before stopping hosts Ghana 1-0 in the second semi-final on Tuesday to set up tomorrow’s final with the Golden Eaglets.
The final match is billed to begin at 6.30pm Ghanaian time (7.30pm Nigeria time).
Victory on Friday will give Nigeria a second youth football title in the seven-nation WAFU B region within one month, after the Flying Eagles claimed WAFU B U-20 Championship in Niger Republic in May.
