WAFU U-20: Maikaba rues missed chances as Nigeria beat Ghana 4-2

Nigeria’s Under-20 head coach, Abdu Maikaba, has said the Flying Eagles left more goals on the field than they took, after his side beat Ghana 4-2 to open their WAFU B U-20 Championship title defence in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, on Monday.

Muiz Adeleke’s brace, added to goals from Olayemi Ayinla and Oraro Lucky, was enough to see off the Black Satellites in Maikaba’s first competitive game in charge, despite Nigeria conceding twice in a match that finished with a tighter scoreline than their dominance suggested.

Ayinla broke the deadlock inside six minutes before Lucky doubled the advantage in the 30th minute, and Adeleke added a third shortly before halftime to put the Flying Eagles firmly in control.

Ghana hit back to make it 3-2 and give the contest a nervier edge, before Adeleke settled matters from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

Reflecting on the game, Maikaba said Nigeria had created enough late chances to have doubled their tally had his players kept their composure in front of goal.

“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; that is why they lost such opportunities. They would have been calm in front of goal and converted such chances. It would have been more than four.”

The coach also credited Nigeria’s fast start for setting up the eventual win, revealing that scoring early had been a deliberate part of his pre-match plan. “We planned that we have to try and score in the opening 15 minutes, and we got it in the first five. Ghana were able to come back, but we are still determined to continue with the lead,” Maikaba said.

“Anytime Nigeria is playing Ghana, it is a tough game. It can go either way, but scoring first gave us that advantage.”

The victory sets Nigeria on course for a third successive WAFU B U-20 title, having won the competition in 2022 and retained it in 2024 with a 2-1 final win over Ghana.

The Flying Eagles will face Togo on July 30 before rounding off their group campaign against Burkina Faso on August 2, with both matches kicking off at 2pm local time (3pm Nigeria time) at the Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro.