Golden Eaglets coach 'happy' with performance despite World Cup failure

Nigeria U17 coach Nduka Ugbade is a happy man despite watching his team crash out of the 2023 U17 AFCON.

Ugbade and his Golden Eaglets were knocked out of the competition after a shocking 2-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the quarterfinal on Thursday night.

Aboubakar Camara was the star of the game as he scored both goals for the Junior Stallions while Abubakar Abdullahi netted the consolation for Nigeria.

The Golden Eaglets were on a quest for a third title at the U17 AFCON and a 13th appearance at the FIFA U17 World Cup.

However, the team met a difficult bulwark in the Burkinabes who produced an assured performance on the night to register a historic win.

Despite the defeat, Nigeria’s coach Ugbade is happy with what he saw from his players on the night at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.

Speaking after the game, he expressed his happiness while adding that Nigeria can gain by developing the players further.

“I am happy with the performance of our players,” Ugbade said moments after the game per CAF Online.

“In such competitions, even if you lose, you gain something by developing the players for the future.”

Furthermore, the former international added that the players are disappointed but must be supported to continue with their careers.

“The players are disappointed of course because they are young,” he added. “But we must support them because they need to continue their careers.”