Within the wake of Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets failing to succeed in the ultimate of the WAFU-B U-17 competitors, head coach Manu Garba lamented a mixture of poor errors and the shortcoming of his aspect to transform alternatives. The Eaglets bowed out after a 2-0 defeat to Ghana’s Black Starlets within the semi remaining, a loss that additionally value Nigeria a ticket to the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Talking after the match, Garba singled out the absence of certainly one of his key midfielders as a turning level for his staff’s efficiency, saying it disrupted the steadiness and fluidity of his squad. With out their engine in midfield, Garba felt Nigeria struggled to impose themselves. He additionally criticised pricey errors at essential junctures, and regretted that regardless of creating numerous probabilities they didn’t profit from them.
Regardless of the setback, Garba was gracious in defeat, applauding Ghana for his or her scientific play and composure. He acknowledged that the Black Starlets “took their probabilities,” suggesting that whereas Nigeria have been wasteful, Ghana have been extra environment friendly in execution.
Garba additional used the phrase “unfair” in relation to the restricted variety of qualification slots assigned to the WAFU-B zone for the U-17 AFCON, calling for extra illustration.
He additionally stays optimistic in regards to the future, confidently declaring that the Golden Eaglets can be “champions once more” in subsequent tournaments.
In sum, Garba’s postmortem highlights systemic points—accidents, squad depth, and ending ruthlessness—whereas inserting Ghana’s win into context of higher execution quite than luck.
