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Nigeria U17 coach Jolomi Atume targets World Cup berth against Angola

Nigeria U17's assistant coach Jolomi Atume is hoping his team can qualify for the World Cup with victory over Angola.

The Golden Eaglets will take on the Angolans in their second game at the Africa 2019 U17 Cup of Nations tournament on Wednesday.

Nigeria sit on top of Group A on goal difference as they are tied on three points with Angola, following their 5-4 victory over Tanzania in their first game in the competition on Sunday.

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A second successive win will see the Eaglets advance to the semi-final and ensure their return to the youth global tournament after missing the previous edition in India.

To ensure a win in the match, Atume has stated that his side is working on correcting the mistakes that saw them concede four goals against the East Africans last time out.

“We understand that we need to win this game to qualify not only to the semi-final but also to the FIFA U17 World Cup,” Atume was quoted by Caf website.

“It is a very important match for us and for our opponents too. To be honest this will be an open game for both teams.

“Angola is a good team. They play well and they are good on the offensive. We know that our defence made several mistakes in the opening fixture against Tanzania which saw us concede four goals, but we are working on it to improve.

“This is a youth tournament so sometimes the boys want to express themselves and the tactical discipline is low but we will play well.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria midfielder Andrian Akande admitted their game against Tanzania was difficult but he is looking forward to his side’s victory against Angola.

“The game against Tanzania was tough, it was difficult to play against the home crowd but we managed to hold on to claim victory,” he said.

“The game against Angola is more important for us because our ambition is to qualify to the FIFA U17 World Cup and we need to win this game to achieve that. We are not under pressure; we are relaxed and are eager to do well.”

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