GOLDEN Eaglets head coach Nduka Ugbade has praised his players despite their failure to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The Nigerian lads were beaten 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations by Burkina Faso in Algiers, Algeria last night, ending their dream of participating in the global tournament.
Although he admitted that his side’s wastefulness was their undoing, Ugbade had words of encouragement for the youngsters.
“The players are disappointed of course because they are young but we must support them because they need to continue their careers,” Ugbade, who captained Nigeria to win the inaugural edition of the World Cup in the age group 38 years ago, said.
“We should work on their development because I believe that some of these players will eventually move to the senior national team.
“I am happy with the performance of our players and in such competitions, even if you lose, you gain something by developing the players for the future.”
Ugbade however believes that his side would have won if they had been more clinical in front of goal.
“Everything worked as we had planned, but we could not score with the chances we had. We paid dearly for that. We learn the lessons and move on,” he said.
The former Super Eagles defender believes that the defeat will help strengthen the mentality of the players as they continue in their careers.
Burkina Faso joined Mali, Morocco and Senegal in earning World Cup tickets by reaching the AFCON semi-finals.
