Gambia pipped the Flying Eagles of Nigeria 1-0 to qualify for a first-ever U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
An early goal by Adama Bojang saw the Gambians edged seven-time champions Nigeria in Monday’s semi-final at this year’s U-20 AFCON in Egypt.
The Flying Eagles had a chance to get back into the game after they were awarded a penalty but substitute Ahmed Abdullahi missed.
Gambia, who are yet to concede a goal at the on-going tournament, will now face Senegal in the final.
The Flying Eagles will face Tunisia in the third-placed match.
The Flying Eagles had the first chance at goal on 2nd minute through Ibrahim Muhammed but his shot from outside missed the target.
But it was Gambia who took the lead in the 9th minute through Adama Bojang.
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In the 23rd minute Gambia almost doubled their lead off a counter but failed to make it count.
Abdullahi went close to equalising for the Flying Eagles in the 58th minute but missed the opportunity.
With seven minutes left to play the Flying Eagles were awarded a penalty but Abdullahi saw his low strike hit the post.
In the 89th minute Gambia were reduced to 10 men following a rash challenge.
Despite going a man down, Gambia held on to seal a first-ever final ticket.
32 Comments
The way the boys played was an accurate reflection of the coach (Bosso) philosophy – disjointed, with zero strategic intent.
It is clearly obvious the man is incompetent. Don’t know how many times we have to recycle this man for Nigerians to know he is way beyond useless and lacks the intelligence to coach a team, let alone a National team.
Does it mean that Nigeria doesn ‘t have good coaches and players anymore with this team the country will suffer at the world cup. Bad midfield and horrible attackers. Worst and cluless coach
The team lack talent. How can a country as populous as Nigeria not produce a single striker as well as competent attacking midfielder in a small tournament like this? The team was a disaster waiting to happen . Theyve been struggling to score or create clear chances all through this tournament. The suspect the man know man syndrome has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation and the root cause this assemblage of a group of men without football talent and sense
Half of these team needs to be dropped going to the WC especially that foolish no 9 who hurriedly grabbed the ball cuz he won the penalty.If the Ladan Bosso still has his job and takes the same team to the WC na God go punish am.
Not surprised at all. If you have been watching the boys play, you will now that all they do is enter the field and every other thing na vibes and insha Allah! . Zero flair, zero tactics, just kick and follow. Thank God we even made the World Cup party. This coach has nothing to offer
Truth of the matter is that things are rarely if ever done right in Nigeria. From politics to sports to education, you name it. Rarely done properly.
And that is why you have a country, a member of OPEC and that has exported billions of barrels of oil over a sixty-year period, ranked among the poorest nations in the world.
It is painfully obvious they don’t know what they are doing there.
Is there any Nigerian çoach as useless and clueless as Ladan Bosso??? A coach that selected a bunch of overaged and talentless footballers. That #10 is the worst #10 I’ve ever watched. No skill, passing – nothing. For the first time, I watched a Nigerian youth team without spotting a single talent. Tufia
I think abiodun the previous u20 coach as useless as the present
Ayigbodun rather
Ladan Bosso is one of the evil seeds sown by Amaju Pinnick before he left. How long shall we suffer in the hands of all these incompetent bunch of coaches handling our national teams?
Business man coach……Bosso has a stake in any transfer that comes close to any of these weak players he presented in this tournament……..that’s the game……Bosso Will definitely cash out big time at the world cup because the stakes for each slot will be higher…….With the flood of talents all over the country Bosso couldn’t present a descent team that can show a little promise…….with the avalanche of talents of Nigerian descent making waves all over the world now Bosso couldn’t select a team that has half of it’s players with genuine talent…….After screening the whole world of players and dropping many world class players this is what Bosso could come up with?……. Even said an EPL debutant was not good enough for his team…..lolz…… Nigerian coaches will never change…… Business coaches.
Why don’t you take your license and help him unearth such players. You all like to whine and criticize. The coach is not blind, he knows he has more work to do, so cut him a slack. many of you said he wouldn’t qualify to the world cup which he did. the defense is his saving grace. The injury to Daka didn’t help us at all, we had no other creative midfielder. And the attackers were the worst have seen. So he has time to bring in better players. You never know they could be different at the world cup. Same way under 17 didn’t win there AFcon in 2013 and 15 to eventually winning the World cup.
It’s not just about the players. This tactically deficient coach is putting his interest before that of the country.
Did you hear yourself, a team of 20+ in number don’t have other creative milfielder…. That na word? You just spill beans
All this our grammar would solve nothing. Just like the PDP did today by marching to INEC, it is time to carry placards to NFF demanding the sack of this coach and enthronement of meritocracy in the engagement of coaches. We should also demand accountability from the coaches as to their choice of players for national assignments
Awon bunch of idiots. May God punish you all
I think the no 9 is not a bad player just so unfortunate to miss the penalty which can happen to any player.. he should be starting games and not coming as a sub , his introduction changed our game..
My problem with this team is the midfield , it is obvious without dada there is not a single player on the bench to replace him.. my goodness why give no 10 jersey to such a poor player,, was that tribalism or what… The only good thing about the no 10 are his delivery from corner kicks.. cannot give simple passes.. and was the missing link in the middle.. bosso should get new players for the WC and drop many of these boys .. they are below standard.. this loss should tell him he has alot of work to do.. imagine our no 7 .. so poor .
I thought the coach will perform better tactically but to my surprise he repeated the same incompetent he did in 2007 u-20 world cup. Where he has to depend on individual brilliance of Akabueze, Ambrose and ideye etc. Now he will say that he is better than Samson Siasia, who has won this competition twice. Well I will place him side by side with Paul Aigbogun or Yussuf Salisu.
NFF should appoints coach based on their competent not tribal biases. Watch out for Salisu Yussuf U-23 for Paris Olympic you will see the same thing repeating itself. I rest my case
Salisu will be worse than this. Mark my words.
And some of this players will be representing the under 17 soon. Especially the captain and that useless No 7. Don’t think Daka will be consider for the World cup
This team is obviously not the best the country can present.It is clear Bosso was compromised or he was lazy to scout properly.I listened to Ugbade today on Brilafm and he spoke about pressure from vested interest from powerful Nigerians and agents to field their players who are mostly below average.Bosso may have fallen for them.
Let me reveal to you the secrets to Senegal dominance in African football lately.
shortly after retiring, Patrick viera, Tony Sylva, Bocco and a few other friends set up a football academy just outside Dakar called Diambars.A world class facility with French and British coaches and trully ran like any academy anywhere in the world.With their connections, they have collaboration with with the clubs in Europe and around the world.Players are scouted from all over the country at between 10-12 years of age where they are professionally groomed.The best among them are sent to the youth teams of the major European teams, the next best are sent to Belgium, Turkish,Swiss, Swedish, Norway clubs to start and gain the required experience before moving to the top leagues, while the last set start out with Senegalese clubs while those that don’t make the cuts at all are trained in other vocations.This academy have contributed about 90% to all Senegalese national team including Sadio Mane on a consistent basis year in year out.Now Bocco is from Benin has set up the same kind of academy in Cotonou.That explains the recent success of the Benin junior teams.It will soon Rob off on the their senior team.The important thing here is that they are caught young, groomed in the particular Senegalese playing philosophy at a very young age, So they just fit in as they grow older and graduate from one youth team to the other until the reach the senior National team.
But what do we have in Nigeria? we cannot be depending on luck all the time.Success requires planning and hard work
He isn’t just a bad player, he’s a terrible player, this was the same thing he played in the quarter final, running without no direction
ABUBAKARS U20 Team lost 1-0 against The solid Gambia’s U20. They will now blame Buhari’s message to the Team before the match. Real Naija Team is Different from Tribal/Religious bigot Team/Coach ; BABABLU; BLHU BLHU; BLAHBU; BUHARI;…………..
una still Rig Laden Bosso in as the coach.
NIGERIA COACH JUST WANT TO FAVOUR HIS MUSLIMS BROTHERS WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO PLAY FOOTBALL HE JUST PACK AND FORCE THEM INTO THE TEAM HAVE YOU SEEN IT YOUR EYES IS CLEAR IF YOU ARE GOING TO WORLD CUP REMEMBER THAT YOU DON’T HAVE STRIKERS
It’s disheartening to see my national youth team played so badly in a tournament of this magnitude.
It is unheard of in the history of Nigerian age grade football.
These lads are not the true representation of the flying eagles we use to know.
Ladan Bosso is a complete idiot to have selected these bunch of knitwit from his local Government to come embarrase the nation,he should be probed together with the animals that gave him the job.
The corrupt system that brought him as a coach has reduced the countries football to nothing that a country not bigger than Lagos will be defeating a national team
With proven history of talented players.
Thunder go fire all of una
This coach is terribly bad and incompetent. Ladan Bosso is not a good tactician , he failed before in 2007 and nff brought him back again so what has changed in terms of tactical discipline? We need a new coach if we want to make it at the world cup.
Babablu, Blhu, Blhu, Blahbu, Buhari. This Coash is a tribalist of the worst type. Who gave him the job in the first place.? The coach should be condemned in the strongest term.
I talked about the disjointed pattern of play I noticed in the previous matches, someone said since I knew more than the coach, I should go and take his job. He said that because to him, as long as the team is winning, no matter how haphazard they play, they are good. Hmmmmmm
I’ve noticed something about some of us here. We tend to get carried away by one or two victories even by a struggling team and criticism to provoke a change or better performance will be considered an affront. I also doubt if Bosso was transparent enough in his selection process. No player from established premier league teams was considered good enough for the team. Are you kidding me? I watched that boy from Crystal Palace the other day. He looks quite better than many players I see on display in Egypt. This is John Obuh frustrated Sammy Ameobi out of his team preparing for 2009 u20 WC.We later came back begging that boy when he picked form for Newcastle.
Bosso’s team can’t be Nigeria’s u20 team cos they were ordinary and boring to watch. Most Nigerian age grade teams are a joy to watch, fast, skilful, vibrant and extremely talented. Even when they are losing, you still have this feeling that they will come back and turn the table. Nigerian u20 team holds the record of the greatest comeback in any match in the history of this country with the Damman Miracle feat in 1989. We all know how Nigeria u17 team, led by Iheabacho, pegged their Swedish team back in 2013 to secure a well deserved draw. This team lacks that capacity. We all know the exploits of Siasia u20 teams,Manu Garba’s u17 team and that of Amuneke in 2015. Many players from those teams graduated to the national teams in no time at all. Kanu was in Japan 93 u17 team. A year later, he almost made the famed USA 94 squad to that WC. Which of these players in Bosso’s team can even make the u23 team? It’s so unfortunate. NFF should drop him asap for a better, more tramparent coach with the sound idea of moving the team forward. He was definitely compromised because I saw a lot better players, even at WAFU B competition who are not here now. What happened? And experience of some of those boys from English Premier League would have been of help too. Many people may not know that that Banjoe guy that too stikes for Gambia in this competition plays for Nottingham Forest. If he were a Nigerian, he won’t make the cut because the coach would consider him not fit to play against strong, robust African teams.
Hmmmn… Is it me or you guys are just something else. To me, that game was their best since the tournament started. Yes, no doubt, the team coach has a lot to do, especially the attacking options, but no, this team isn’t that bad. They only conceded two goals in the entire tournament and they improved game by game. They just need to fix one or two things, and they will be fine. I’m sorry, its either some of you don’t understand the game or you have alot going on in your life and you just see an avenue to vent your anger or frustration.
It’s you oga… The Gambia team is the weakest I have seen, and this Bosso team is the worst I have watched since I have been watching Nigeria match…. It was only against Egypt they played a bit better. Yesterday was a disaster
Well done Mr Inec observer! A team with about 65% ball possessions but no single shot on Target while the opponent had only a chance with lesser ball possessions scored. I believed that if a Frustration Test is been run across the nation today, high percentage would be recorded in your Vicinity.
It’s only in Nigeria we give coaching opportunities to individuals who have failed over and over in the past. Bosso has failed a number of times. He came back with the help of the idiots at the Glass House. Eguaveon has disappointed on numerous occasions. Pinnick and his fellow armed robbers saddled him with the responsibility of taking us to the world cup. Salisu hasn’t achieved anything with all the teams he has coached. Yet, he currently holds three positions in different national teams. Hw was once even suspended for collecting bribes to feature a player. Yet, as things stand now, under his watch, Home Eaglea are gone. Olympic Eagmes will soon go. And he would ve back S Peseiro’s assistant. Where’s meritocracy for crying out loud? Well, as someone right said, if we don’t kill Cirruption, it will surely kill us!!