Former Nigeria international Duke Udi has charged the Flying Eagles to play more as a team if they hope to overcome Senegal in the quarter-finals of the 2025 U-20 AFCON on Monday.
After finishing second in Group B, the Flying Eagles will battle reigning champions Senegal in the last eight.
To get to their stage the Flying Eagles recorded one win and two draws, while Senegal placed second in Group C with one win, one draw and one loss.
The winner between the Flying Eagles and Senegal will qualify for this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
In an exclusive chat with Completesports.com, Udi, a member of the Flying Eagles that finished third at the 1995 U-20 AFCON held in Nigeria, posited that the Senegalese are beatable.
“No team in the world is complete, everybody keep improving and that’s why we train everyday and that’s why we try to do what we’ve not done in other matches and improve.
“The Flying Eagles just need to put their acts together and play more as a team. They are playing as a team but they are not playing more as a team and they will get it right.
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“The Senegalese team both at U-17, U-20, U-23, the beach soccer team, they’re been exceptional in the past three, four years. So we meeting the Senegalese they are not unbeatable, after all they lost a game in the group stage, so nothing is impossible.
“We are a power house, they are a power house so let’s see, anything can happen and that’s why I said we should play more as a team.”
The 49-year-old, who had four caps for the Super Eagles, admitted the Senegal team is a good side.
“I watched the Senegalese team in Liberia during the WAFU B, because I was in Liberia and I watched their matches all through and they are not a bad team, most of their players are from Europe. But when it comes to the African terrain Europe doesn’t count because African terrain doesn’t respect anybody, if you don’t bring your A game you would be defeated.
“So for me, we have everything to lose and they have everything to lose and like I said if we play more like a team we can beat them any day any time.”
By James Agberebi
