Flying Eagles head coach Abdu Maikaba has admitted Nigeria should have scored more goals after opening their WAFU B U-20 Championship campaign with a 4-2 victory over Ghana in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
The win marked a successful competitive debut for Maikaba, whose side produced an attacking display that could have yielded an even bigger margin.
A brace from Muiz Adeleke, coupled with goals from Olayemi Ayinla and Oraro Lucky, secured victory for the defending champions against the Black Satellites.
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Nigeria took control early as Ayinla opened the scoring inside six minutes before Lucky doubled the lead in the 30th minute. Adeleke added a third just before halftime to hand the Flying Eagles a commanding advantage.
Ghana responded after the break with two goals to reduce the deficit, but Adeleke converted a late penalty in the 89th minute to wrap up the victory.
Despite the result, Maikaba said his players missed several clear opportunities that could have produced a far more convincing scoreline.
“If you see the last ten minutes of the game, we created about three or four scoring opportunities which we missed narrowly,” he said.
“I believe our boys were so anxious to make it count. They would have been calmer in front of goal and converted those chances.”
The coach also revealed that Nigeria had deliberately targeted an early breakthrough.
“We planned that we have to try and score in the opening 15 minutes, and we got it in the first five. Anytime Nigeria plays Ghana, it is always a difficult game, but scoring first gave us the advantage,” he added.
The Flying Eagles are aiming to win a third successive WAFU B U-20 title after lifting the trophy in 2022 and retaining it in 2024.
Nigeria will face Togo on July 30 before concluding their group campaign against Burkina Faso on August 2.
