Flying Eagles head coach Aliyu Zubairu can’t hide his disappointment following his side’s defeat to Norway, reports Completesports.com.
The seven-time African champions fell to a disappointing 1-0 loss against Bjorn Johansen’s side in their first game at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Talca on Monday.
Captain Rasmus Holten scored the winning goal for Norway from the spot in the ninth minute.
Zubairu Rues Missed Chances
Nigeria dominated possession in the game but Norway put up a resolute display at the back.
Forward Kparobo Ariehi’s superb effort hit the upright early in the game, while Tana Maigana also hit the crossbar in the second half.
Zubairu said his players gave their all in the game, and were unlucky not to come out with a win.
“The boys played their hearts out. They did everything humanly possible to make sure we won the match,” Zubairu said during his interaction with the media after the game.
“Even from the start, we created chances, but unfortunately our efforts kept hitting the bar. It just felt like we weren’t lucky.”
Focus On Next Game
The Flying Eagles will now shift attention to their next game against Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Zubairu said it is important for his team to pick maximum points in the game.
“Possession doesn’t win matches. If just one of our attempts had gone in, it would have changed the situation. But that is the way the game comes, and we have to take it as it is,” added Zubairu.
“We are going to think about the next match. We just have to pick up the three points.”
By Adeboye Amosu
7 Comments
Who appointed this man as coach please?
A penalty was wrongfully awarded to Norway and he was just looking. A referee that knows what he was doing would have protested immediately the referee blew the whistle even before moving toward the VAR. Hie silence gave the referee license for the dubious officiating through our the match. Nigeria key boys were bombarded with yellow cards at the early stage of the match to reduce the pace of the boys so that they could be playing with caution with the fear of not getting second yellow card. All is game and the coach didn’t even protest.
The penalty that was awarded was not penalty at all.
There is one thing for you to have good ingredients and another thing for you to know how to make good soup. The team is loaded with talents but the question is if the coaching crew know what to do per time.
For Godsake, this coach is poor.
So you are saying the coach reaction would have influenced the referee decisions or officiating? That’s ridiculous bro.
The officiating was very bad, especially from the centre referee. It was as if the Referee was sent to deliberately prune the wings of Nigerian Flying Eagles throughout the match with Norway. A cheap penalty was awarded to Norway early on but Two handballs, one of which was deliberate, to earn Nigeria a penalty was explained away, even when VAR review showed clearly a case for Nigerian penalty.
The boys were not bad and I am sure with better luck, they can still advance from the group.
The referee was Tone deaf. His poor decision Killed the game.
So why don’t your ridiculous and embarrassment of a football association NFF or whatever it is called write to FIFA right now complaining seriously about that bastard referee and asking for his performance in that game to be reviewed by an independent body and if they don’t threaten to take them to the Court of Arbitration for Sport – CAS and if that fails threaten to walk out!
Enough of all this madness already and Africans are still acting like slaves letting these bloody thieveing Europeans walk all over them! I mean WTF?? And when we tell them to get rid of all these old and old school politicians hanging on to power for dear life and let young forward thinking and bold national patrons take over they wont listen!
JUST WTF IS GOING ON ON NIGERIA?
Real Madrid is suing LaLiga for dubious officiating and suing Barca in same manner. But NFF has no clue on how football is ran but they sit around folding arms doing follow follow with superstars and hoping to get gifts from the same players they expect to perform. The present NFF president has no business in that office. He should be a logistics officer or ticketing assistant to the team because he is good at this things than heading the main football affairs. Yesterday officiating was very terrible and a shame to football.