Nigeria’s primary objective at the U17 WAFU B Championship is to win the competition, head Coach Nduka Ugbade stated this ahead of his Tuesday’s Semi-final clash against Ivory Coast.
Ugbade’s Eaglets defeated host nation Ghana and eased past Togo to finish top of group A and now stand the chance of winning the championship for the first time.
The team will now face Ivory Coast in the last four, and the chance to secure an automatic ticket to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations if they reach the finals.
Ugbade spoke of the team’s mentality going into Tuesday’s game and how much it means to the Players.
“The match against Cote d’Ivoire is of high importance to us,” Ugbade stated.
“In fact, I have reminded the players that this one is the biggest match of their lives. They must win to secure a ticket to the U17 Africa Cup of Nations, and from there to the U17 World Cup, and from there to several opportunities and possibilities.”
“Whatever we have done here (beating Ghana and Togo) will not mean much if we don’t go all out and grab our ticket to the AFCON and to the Final. We will throw everything into the fray.”
The match will be played at the Cape Coast Stadium, the venue has hosted all the nine matches played so far in the championship.
