By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U20 men head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, says his team has shifted focus to their decisive group stage clash against Kenya following a goalless draw with Morocco on Sunday.
Zubairu admitted that while the team had hoped to secure maximum points against Morocco, the draw keeps their qualification hopes alive.
“Our intention was to go for the three points, but we couldn’t get them. One point is still good,” he said.
“We’ll now concentrate on the last match against Kenya and make sure we get the three points.”
Reflecting on the tactical approach used against Morocco, Zubairu explained that the strategy was tailored to neutralize the North Africans’ threat from wide areas.
“We watched their match against Kenya and realized their strength lies on the flanks. We focused on denying them space from both sides, and we succeeded,” he added.
With Nigeria and Morocco level on four points in Group B, Wednesday’s match against Kenya is crucial for the Flying Eagles’ progression. Kenya, meanwhile, are yet to register a win in the tournament.
“We’ve studied their games and we know what to expect,” Zubairu said. “We’ll approach the match with positivity and won’t underrate them. Our top priority is to secure the maximum points.”
Nigeria face Kenya on Wednesday, while Morocco take on Tunisia in the other final group fixture.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
