In their last group stage encounter at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Nduka Ugbade discussed how his team was able to overcome South Africa.

Ugbade attributed the success of his team to their psychological resilience and capacity to learn from mistakes, enabling them to defeat the Amajimbos.

Early in the first half, Nigeria was down a goal after the initial goal was scored in the sixth minute of play.

Charles Agada, 16, tried to tie the score in the 34th minute, but the South Africa took advantage of a costly mistake and restored their lead before half time.

Light Eke’s exquisite finish in the 46th minute brought the score even, and Abubakar Abdullahi’s goal a few minutes past the hour mark handed the Eaglets all three points.

Ugbade’s motivational speech paid off in the second half of the game.