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U-20 World Cup: Coach says beating Argentina won’t be easy, advises Flying Eagles to focus

The Nigerian under-20 male team are currently in Argentina for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup and will face the hosts on Wednesday in a round-of-16 clash.

• May 29, 2023
Flying Eagles
Flying Eagles

Mansur Abdullahi, a former assistant coach of Nigeria’s under-20 women’s team, wants the Flying Eagles to focus more if they are to beat hosts Argentina on Wednesday.

“Argentina will not be an easy game for the boys, but with better concentration, we can get to the quarter-finals,” Abdullahi said.

The Nigerian under-20 male team are currently in Argentina for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup and will face the hosts on Wednesday in a round-of-16 clash.

Abdullahi told journalists on Monday in Abuja that the Flying Eagles’ performance against Brazil in their last group game was eye-opening.

“My expectation is that the team will be mindful of defending while attacking. The game is all about massive defence and massive attack —- doing both with good numbers.

“In the game against Brazil, the team lost because the players were going for attack and forgetting their defence line.

“One could see how patient the Brazilian team was, and they relied on counter-attacks, which paved the way for them.”

Abdullahi believed the Nigerian team lacked concentration in the game.

Nigeria finished as the best losers in Group D after beating Dominican Republic 2-1 and claiming a 2-0 win against Italy before losing 0-2 to Brazil.

The tournament is scheduled to end on June 11.

(NAN)

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