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Nigeria’s Flying Eagles head coach Abdul Maikaba has admitted that his team made lots of tactical mistakes which saw them suffer a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the final of the WAFU B U-20 championship on Sunday.
“We lost the game in the first 10 minutes conceding three goals,” Maikaba said on BRILA FM.
“We made a lot of tactical mistakes which cost us the early goals which forced us to come out and made them to hit us on the counter.”
Maikaba went on to praise the Burkinabes, stating they are a very good team.
“Burkina Faso deserved to win because they have been consistent, they beat everybody so I salute them, they are a very good side.”
It was the second time the Flying Eagles will lose to Burkina Faso in this year’s WAFU B tournament after a 2-0 loss in their final group stage fixture.
The Flying Eagles have now missed the chance to pick the sole ticket for next year’s U-20 AFCON which will be held in Ghana.
Also, the U-20 AFCON will serve as qualifiers for the 2027 U-20 World Cup to be co-hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
This will be a second time Ghana hosts the CAF U-20 AFCON having previously staged the competition in 1999, where the host nation lifted the trophy thanks to a 1-0 win against the Flying Eagles.
Meanwhile, the top four teams from the U-20 AFCON will qualify to represent Africa at next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The Flying Eagles are the most successful U-20 AFCON side with seven titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, 2015).
At the 2025, they finished third after defeating hosts Egypt on penalties in the third place match.
Also they have finished as runners-up twice at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1989 and 2005.
By James Agberebi
