Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have booked their place into the quarter-finals of the 2023 U-17 AFCON after defeating South Africa 3-2 in their final Group B game on Saturday.
The Eaglets had to come from behind twice before eventually bagging the winner to go through.
With the victory they finish second on six points while Morocco claimed first place.
Despite the defeat South Africa can still advance into the last eight as one of the third best placed team.
In Group B’s other game Morocco lost 2-1 to Zambia who are bottom.
South Africa took the lead in the sixth minute through Vicky Mkhawana.
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In the 33rd minute Charles Agada equalised for the Golden Eaglets but Siyabonga Mabena put South Africa 2-1 ahead on 45 minutes.
Just two minutes into the second half the Eaglets drew level through Light Eke.
And in the 63rd minute Abubakar Abdullahi got what proved to be the winner for the Eaglets.
38 Comments
Now to properly analyse this game. Firstly it’s high time football lovers stop watching with emotions but watch with a lot more eyes for details in mind. I will score the defense 4/10 in the first half and 6/10 in the second half. They didn’t deal with the forays of the SA strikers which was very rare but effective. They improved their awareness in the second half. So kudos to the unit. I will rate the coach 6/10 simply because he saw the threat of the number 20 of SA and gave better instructions on marking, which forced the player in-field rather than isolating a single defender and then Start his mazy runs. I also realised too that he was able to transmit to the players when to launch and when to hold on especially during the closing stage. It was nice to see as the boys didn’t panic rather they controlled the narrative instead of the SA piling pressure on them. I also noticed that the team don’t just balloon the ball in field rather they carefully play it out from the back thus, creating overload inside the SA half when they beat the press by the South Africans. It shows the team is well coached. I also noticed that the wingers and the defenders coming in as false wingers, don’t just balloon hopeful crosses into the 18yard box but rather look out for other outfield players. All these are hallmarks of a well coached team so I will say, tactically, he won the game over the SA coach. The deep lying midfielder Linus,is a good player but might seem sluggish and slow to react.actually, his type of game when fully developed, will enable him to have better view of all that is happening around him and can easily control proceedings from his feet. I could see that he has very good positional sense too. He just needs to improve his shooting skills and be a bit quicker with his decisions as well as react better, if he must play in the 5 best league in the world. Eke is very good. The captain is also a very very good player with his forays upfront. The only challenge is that he needs to know when to launch out and when to conserve energy and not expose his position. If he was to play against a more experienced opposition, the team will be ripped apart from his wing if no good cover. Infact on one occasion, we were 3:2 up and a midfielder was with the ball while the South Africans had lined up waiting to break and launch. I was praying he won’t go on a run to be given the ball because if the midfielder threads the pass and it’s blocked, the SA will launch. Guess what, that was exactly what happened. Someone covered for him because he was completely taken out of the defensive equation.
Finally, the team is well coached no doubt. You can see that they don’t just loop hopeful balls but are intentional with their play. Defensively, they are not compact and that is because they tend to run at the other team without breaks. That is a knock on the coaches. They need to control and teach the team when to launch and when to stay compact without the ball. Over all, for doggedly coming back twice to win this game, they have 7.5/10. There’s room for improvement and several tactical upgrades needed by the coach and the team but they are a bunch of skillful players. We wish them well.
Bro with time this team will grow regarded the NFF don’t sabotage things so be patient after all you don’t expect 17 yr olds to play like 26 yr olds.
He is making good point, he is not condemning them, I love his analysis and if the Coach even read his submission here , it will surely help the team cos this guy knows his line in terms of football!!
I know he’s not condemning them and i also agree with his analysis mostly but i’m emphasizing the need to be realistic expectations whilst analyzing,football is a game of time,the best teams are built and moulded with time. Imagine this team 4 years from now with Ugbade at the helm of the SE.
A lot of you on this page only succeeded in showing your low football IQ and false judgement, a team that creates lots of chances and dominates all oppositions even when loosing and some ignorant people will not appreciate, when was the last time a Nigerian team dominated like this eaglets, have we forgotten how all our national teams have been messing up of late, now una come dey talk this team down despite their dominant performances, Shame on you lots except a few that always understands the philosophy we crave for. Even Mancity dominates and losses some matches, so let us be appreciative at least this is a group of death everyone can play it takes a lot of technicality for eaglets to impose their game. But Coach Nduka must iron out his teams conversion rate efficiency. Congratulations to Team Nigeria tiki taka for life!!!
I wonder oo!!, true talk bro!
They think those oppositions are walk over that will just lie down and make things easy for you. LMAO wonders in Sicily even after the win where is Selfmade??? It’s only when we are behind that he runs here to advocate for something that he knows nothing about!!!
Some strange people are waiting for the team to loose so that they’ll come and spill nonsense and insult people. If Nigeria looses and playing well I repeat it I will not loose sleep because in Life there are ups and down. I will only be offended if we don’t play well and loose. Some people on the Live match thread really said trash….. How many of your teams always win all their matches in tournaments? For the World Cup Nduka should beef up the attack with Kparobo Ariehi of Beyond Limits Academy. Guys check him out on YouTube he is just 16 years and will guarantee us the trophy with all the chances we usually create he will convert 80% chances.
Kparobo Ariehi…
https://youtu.be/_zmDFIXgY-k
Who told you the guy is 16 years ?..what I saw playing is a mature footballer, we don’t need to win by all means !!
He is not even 16 yet. Na you born am??? That is his profile and he is very young take it or leave it….. Btw him and those SA players who’s older??? Steve your submission of his age is invalid.
Who told you he is not 16yrs?….. please go down to ikene and see the wonderful work Remo stars are doing in grassroot youth football before coming here to say what you don’t know…..They have even upto U9 teams made up of gifted players uprooted from the streets undiluted….Let’s stop hateful criticism and criticize when necessary.
AKP I salute you, that team is going to take Nigeria football to the next level, the talent oozing in that academy is savage….. I hear their owner owns a team in France or Spain. I studied most of their matches last week after they used and academy team to play their FA cup and lost only by 4 goals to Warri wolves with U15 team. Watching them revived my hope in Nigeria grassroot football…. Bosso and co are just criminals that is why they don’t pick the best talents in the country…. Some people should go and watch NPFL u15 league and see talents oozing all over the place….
Someone you don’t even know man
I don’t know why people are talking negative about the Eaglets. To me, they are the best team in this tournament, just little improvement on finishing. We should all remember that, these are kids, they are not experienced professionals.
A big Congrats to the talented Golden Eaglets and coaching crew. Your “ Restless and fast recovery of ball possession ’ brand of football is amazing to watch.
Nigeria would’ve topped the group if not for a lack of clinical edge in front of goal and some inadequate coordination in the final third BUT I’ll take the win and the performance as well,our boys are a joy to watch from a Nigerian football perspective due to recent performances of our national teams. Also a high press without compression is risky,it will leave the team susceptible to opposition counter attacks,i know coach nduka Anthony Ugbade will work on this aspect,just a matter of time.
I’ve spoken about Light Ekeh a couple of times here. That boy could the next big thing in Nigerian football. I see him as a faster version of Kanu Nwankwo; very silky, skillful and comfortable with both feet. Though he wasn’t a starter when Eaglets won WAFU U-17 in Ghana but he oozed class and confidence each time he was introduced.
Congratulations to Golden Eaglets and Ugbade. Ugbade na proper coach.
Congratulations Golden Eaglets. Nigerians are proud of you boys.
There’s room for improvement. The confidence is back. I want to see good football after this match.
It is very good Eaglets have tasted a defeat in the group stage. That would make the boys to give it all.
Coach Ugbade and his crew should improve the team a little bit more. I know they can do it.
No room for errors if Nigeria have to be at the world cup. Kudos to the boys and the coaching crew.
Hmmm. Fellow Nigerians no pressure. We are winning by the grace of God. God is in control. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
The boys played good football today. Congratulations boys. Ugbade was equal to the task in this match. God Bless you Mr Ugbade.
Congrats to the Eaglets.
They dominated the game, but for dominance to count, you need to put the ball in the net. A team you dominate can beat you if you don’t take your chances. Refer to the Morocco game.
I noticed that a lot of our crosses were going behind players waiting or arriving in the box. Players arriving in the box should time their entry better. Don’t arrive too early, so the cross does not end up behind you. On the other hand, don’t arrive too late, as that would mean good crosses into the box would keep getting wasted.
Examples of players who timed their arrival into the box very well are:
1) Lampard. A lot of his goals with Chelsea came from this.
2) Gundogan is a great example of a player who seems to always have crosses arriving at his feet. The fact is it is Gundogan’s movement that puts him in the right place at the right time.
Timing of entry into the box is the key.
They played well but they move the ball faster than they can control. They need to calm now and lay accurate passes not misplacing passes and when the do that will always try to regain possession in panic which laid to pressure on the defense
This team is well coached and they are doing well….The players I saw yesterday where very talented and Young players…..Kudos to the Coach for taking such young talents to the afcon…… Winning is not a must when it comes to U17 football….we just want produce more players for world football that’s all…..nice one there.
He SHOULD bench Abdulahi for once. That boy is a waste of space. He scored an offside goal but missed begging chances.
He was using Daniel until Daniel almost crashed the team with his lack of skills and positive contribution. Abdulahi reduced the scoreline and even Light Eke was frustrated at the boy but coach kept playing him. Thank God for Agada.
None of the wingers track back to join the defence. They need to do that once a while to help Lawali and Michael.Win one more match and we are in the world cup. These boys deserve to be in the world cup. Best of luck.
Light Ekeh is way more clinical and skillful than the whole forward line. I watched that boy in Ghana and was very please with his elegance, skill and quick-feet. De boy na baller. Only Ugbade knows why he isn’t a starter. Nonetheless, Ugbade na better youth coach
Yes he is an excellent coach most especially with the fast recovery time of the ball from the opponents. Light Eke is 5years mentally above his age. FYI the boy and the number 10 are in secondary school same with Aondoakaa.
That number 10 is really a very young boy….we shouted when we saw him getting ready to enter….we where like wetin dis pikin won come do?….Nice to see secondary school kids in our u17…we need more of this.
This team is good cudos to Nduka Ugbade, all he need to do is scout for a natural #9 in the mold of Victor Osimhen and get a defence trainer to organise the defence, omo that defence is leaking and he needs to urgently do something about it. Congratulations to the boys and the coaches.
Already resting with assurance we’ve got quality younger talents coming up. WATCH OUT IN PARTICULAR FOR THAT TALL DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER, THAT EKE GUY, THAT NO.10, that AGADA, in fact the whole team.
I never get enough from watching these guys strut their stuff. A big congratulations, even though I am already satisfied.
THE WAIT FOR THIS BRAND OF FOOTBALL HAS BEEN REALLY LONG, ARGUABLY SINCE THAT KELECHI IHEANACHOS GROUP FOR THE JUNIORS AND 1996 OLYMPICS FOR THE SENIORS, WHERE OPPOSING COACHES CRY OUT “YOU SCORE THEM BUT THEY JUST KEEP COMING AT YOU”.LOLZZ. WELL DONE TO THE ENTIRE TEAM; COACHES AND PLAYERS.
Is It Purely Psychological?
With the dust slowly settling on Nigeria’s hard fought slim victory against South Africa, Coach Nduka Ugbade has again hailed ‘psychology’ as one of the secrets to his team’s success.
“We worked a bit in training and we did some corrections.We realized that it was purely “psychological” and we talked to the players and we saw an improvement today.” Said Ugbade.
But some things were visibly different in the approach of the Golden Eaglets against their South African counterparts yesterday.
The changes he made to the starting line up packed a mighty punch and added bite to the team’s attack particularly on the flanks.
Also, their through-passes from midfield were more effective and added more quality which led to several credible scoring opportunities (and even a goal that was ruled out due to the striker being marginally offside).
Cut backs and low crosses from near-the-byline have been a staple of Ugbade’s approach throughout this tournament but it had been met with limited success.
The Zambians found these crosses foreseeable hence they were able to neutralize them. The Moroccans packed their box 18 with bodies to prevent Nigerian crosses from causing them harm.
But yesterday, 2 of Nigeria’s 3 goals came from those low crosses from both wings. This is a crucial development but for me, those crosses – by and large – are still readable and aren’t always delivered to the highest quality.
There is nothing wrong with this approach to unlocking opposition defenses. I just feel that Ugbade’s boys should develop a way of ‘masking it’ so that it isn’t always apparent that that was what they intended. As a result, teams like Zambia and Morocco wouldn’t pile bodies in their 18 yard box only waiting to intercept those crosses.
The Golden Eaglets do an excellent job to get to or near the bylines to deliver a variety of those crosses (despite ruthless and relentless attempts to halt their advance). But their deliveries and the techniques employed have to be better. Also, runs into the box and connections from their colleagues have to be clinical.
The Golden Eaglets are not attacking spaces inside the 18 yard box as ferociously and effectively as they can – they are often outnumbered by opposition defenders (who had anticipated the crosses to start with!).
In clawing their way back (twice) to eventually win 3:2 yesterday, the Golden Eaglets showed character and resourcefulness which has to be commended. But the manner of going behind deserves more tactical attention than seeing it from a purely ‘psychological’ standpoint.
Nigeria’s inadequate defensive high line off the corner kick left the South African player to attack the space and pounce with a powerful header that crashed the bar before taking a second bite of the cherry with a well taken volley for the 1st goal.
Nigeria’s defensive apparatus should have done better.
The second goal was even more embarrassing from a defensive point of view.
The South African player sliced through 2 Nigerian defenders like hot blade through cheese, flooring both of them in the process, before slamming home for their second goal.
That should serve as a wake-up call for our defenders to work on their interceptions and tackles in 1-on-1 situations. At this level, they should expect to face raw talents who are not afraid to do a Maradona when the opportunity presents itself.
All in all, 3:2 was a fair result.
The way the South Africans set up gave the illusion that the Golden Eaglets had improved massively. Yes they improved but there are still cracks in some aspects of their game.
Once they identify and address these areas of concern, then world cup qualification and a podium finish await them in this tournament.
Well-done golden eaglets.
Hello team,
Please do anybody have update on guinea u23 that defeated Nigeria u23 with over age player.
Did Nff report this to caf or not?
Is it true guinea play with over age or not?
Did caf received any report on this or not?
Is caf going to say anything on this or not?
Don’t stress too much @Olu,Nigeria do not take protests seriously.
They accept defeat and move on but if it were against them the opposition will make sure we are penalised.
The Petition is already on CAF’s table. Investigations are still ongoing. No final decisions yet.
Congratulations boys. There’s still much work to be done. Focus on the next assignment and do not be distracted. Coachie, pls, you need to work on our the players’ finishing abilities. We can’t afford to b creating an array of chances and end up converting just a few or none was was the case in our game against morocco.
Thanks @Greenturf
A big Congrats to the talented Golden Eaglets and coaching crew. Your “ Restless and fast recovery of ball possession ’ brand of football is amazing to watch.
Now, again for those who still don’t get that this present nff board are starting to introduce their own plans which is what we saw with these boys i mean for a couple of them to still be in the secondary school. Imagine the nff through the president had to tell ugbade strictly that although the caf rules technically give you room to have at least 4 overage players but under my watch we won’t allow you accomodate overage players at all no matter how good they are. Hearing that news i knew this nff president is again as i have said before is someone who just want to ďo the right thing. These boys might be young but they surely display tactical awareness i mean how do you play all opponent and dominate them like that. None of the opponent they played fully came out to play them, which was why they could not score so much otherwise we could have seen scoreline like 5 nil. That being said the defence is a cause for concern coach ugbade should see to that. I believe they will wallop either cameroon or burkinafaso to get to thst semi final. God bless them.
@Kenny… You did not get the report properly, CAF does not say teams can fields four overage players. CAF conducts independent MRI before tournament starts, any one player who feels will be excluded from the tournament and the team with whe plays can’t replace his quota, now if up to 4-squad members fail then the whole team is disqualified… after any random test, CAF performed tests on all participants before the tournament started…
The affected players in Nigeria’s case were Ebube Okere, Jibril Azeez, Mbata and Opeyemi… they are all youngsters but their MRI scan came to grade 5 which is still allowed by CAF and FIFA. NFF wants a passing grade Mark of not more than 4. So technically the players were excluded for having grade 5, one grade mark less that what FIFA AND CAF stipulates. Ugbade wanted them included when CAF changes the disqualification rules for the whole team from a single player failing MRI scan to four players… this means even if three players are found to fail MRI scan, the team will not be disqualified rather those three players will be excludes and no replacements for them can be added to the team. So, it’s certain Nduka Ugbade will still use Ebube Okere and Jibril Azeez atleast for the worldcup if we make because they are Still both eligible.