Nigeria U17 coach Manu Garba says his side’s quest to reach the semi-final of the WAFU Zone B U17 tournament powered them to a 5-1 victory over Cote d’Ivoire in Niamey.
Following their opening 3-2 loss to Burkina Faso, the Golden Eaglets needed a big win over the Ivorians to guarantee their progress to the knockout stages from the three-team Group B.
And early strikes from Olakunle Olusegun and Olatomi Olaniyan gave Manu Garba’s lads a 2-0 lead before the efforts of Hassan Hussain, Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi and Akinwunmi Amoo cemented an empathic victory at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché.
Despite the big win, the gaffer admitted that lapses of his side denied them from scoring more and allowing Olivier D 'Avila Junior a consolation goal.
He further promised that his coaching crew will work hard to correct some of the flaws as he eagerly looks forward to a winnable semi-final clash against any likely opponent from Group A.
“All we wanted was a two-goal advantage to be sure of getting to the semi-final,” Manu Garba told media.
"But now that we’ve won by four-goal difference, I think there is no course for alarm. Although we created a lot of chances both in the first and second halves, unfortunately, we didn’t take those chances.
"We are going back to training to work on those lapses - defensively and offensively and by God’s grace we will be able to take them in our next game. The most important thing on our mind was getting to the semi-final."
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