The Golden Eaglets were clearly the better side against Zambia, but Bakala believes that there were positives
Zambia Under-17 coach Ian Bakala admits the Golden Eaglets deserved the victory when both teams squared off on Sunday, but he is confident that they will learn from the loss and do better in their remaining games.
Soccernet.ng reports that the Golden Eaglets defeated Zambia 1-0 in their opening fixture of the 2023 Under-17 AFCON in Algeria. The scoreline did not exactly reflect how the game went because coach Nduka Ugbade’s lads controlled the game and could have scored more.
Nonetheless, Favour Daniel’s second-half goal proved to be the vital decider for the Golden Eaglets.
Speaking after the game, Bakala admitted that Nigeria was the better team because they preyed on their mistake. But he asserted that they would work on their mistakes before the next game.
“It is painful to lose a game like this, but it was a tough game,” Bakala told CAF TV.
“Credit to Nigeria for the win because they used their chance. When you are coming to the first game of the tournament, anything is possible.
“There is a lot to do and we will work on the mistakes in training. We will definitely change our story moving forward.
“I am happy with how we have played because physically and tactically, we are in a good place.
“We looked much better in the second half and hopefully we can carry on that form to our next match.”
Zambia play South Africa in their next group game, while the Golden Eaglets will square off against Morocco who won their first game. A win for Nigeria would be enough to secure their spot in the next round.
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