Golden Eaglets head coach, Manu Garba has attributed ‘costly mistakes and poor finishing’ for his his team’s semi-final defeat to Ghana in the WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship.
Speaking after Nigeria’s 2-0 loss, Garba admitted that the absence of one of his key midfielders disrupted the rhythm of his side and had a major impact on their performance.
“I lost one of my key players in midfield — the boy who was here for the pre-match briefing. That destabilized the team entirely,” Garba said.
Manu Garba, head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 MNT. . (Photo | Getty Images)
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The coach, however, acknowledged Ghana’s efficiency, noting that the Starlets punished his team’s lapses.
“But I’ll give it to Ghana because this is football. Even with our tactical approach, we gave away both goals ourselves. It could have been different. We hit the crossbar and created clear chances to equalize, but we didn’t take them.”
“At times, mistakes decide games, and when there are no mistakes, there wouldn’t be a winner. Unfortunately, we gave away the two goals on our own,” he added.
On the other hand, Black Starlets coach Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum credited his side’s win to a disciplined tactical plan and mental strength.
Also read: Manu Garba Under Fire After Golden Eaglets Crash Out of WAFU B U-17
He revealed that their strategy was to neutralize the Golden Eaglets’ captain and capitalize on their chances.
“Tactically, we just played their captain out,” Ogum explained.
The victory sent Ghana through to the final while also securing qualification for the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
For Nigeria, the defeat ended their campaign prematurely, leaving the five-time world champions out of the continental tournament.
