The Nigeria U17 team were yesterday beaten 1-2 by Niger Republic in their opening game of the WAFU B Championship, which is the qualifiers for the U17 AFCON.
Niger Republic came off the block flying from the start and continued their dominance till almost the end of the game, when Nigeria got a consolation goal.
Owngoalnigeria.com picks five reasons why the Nigerian team were no match for Niger Republic.
1. Poor Coaching: It was evident that the Nigerian team lacks a bit of tactical and technical input to trouble Niger, who were not that spectacular but well set up.
2. Poor Individual Quality : In the second half when it seems like Niger Republic have ran out of steam. The Golden Eaglet had lot of the ball but were let down by poor individual decisions due to a dearth in quality.
3. Poor Defending: The manner which they conceded both goals was clearly a case of poor defending especially in the box.
4. Blunt Attack – There was no clear style on how to attack. It was scatter gun from the start to the end unlike Niger Republic who were mainly attacking from the flanks.
5. Lack Of Exposure: What was striking to hear was that Niger Republic team largely consists of players who played in this same tournament last year. That little gulf in exposure was a huge factor in the way they dominated the Nigerian team, who were largely playing at a level like this for the first time.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
