Flying Eagles head coach, Aliyu Zubairu has shared his thoughts following Nigeria’s 2-2 draw with Kenya in their final Group B game at the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations on Wednesday.
The result sees Nigeria finish second in the group with five points, behind Morocco, who secured top spot after a 3-1 win over Tunisia in the other fixture.
Despite missing out on a win, the Flying Eagles booked a place in the quarter-finals, staying unbeaten through the group stage.
“It was not an easy match,” Zubairu said at the post-match press conference. “Kenya had already lost two games, so they came all out so that they don’t leave the competition without getting a win.
“That’s why the game was difficult. All this same, it was a good game.”
He also addressed potential criticism from Nigerian fans who may have expected a more convincing result.
“I want to correct an impression, of course many Nigerians will be disappointed with the result because of the opposition but what is important is for us to get to the next stage, which is the quarter-final.”
Zubairu emphasized the importance of resetting mentally ahead of the knockout stage.
“I believe we are there because of our hard work. Even though this match did not go as expected, the Kenyans came all out to make sure they get something out of the match which makes things difficult for us.”
“The quarter-final is the most important match of the competition. We need to work on the psyche of the players towards that next match, that is very important.
“We want to go to the World Cup, we must win the match. We will start preparing immediately.”
For the clash against Kenya, Zubairu made three changes to the lineup that drew 0-0 with Morocco.
Simon Cletus, Kparobo Arierhi, and Ezekiel Kpangu came in for Bidemi Amole, Precious Benjamin, and Divine Oliseh.
The Flying Eagles will now travel to Ismailia, where they will face the second-placed team from Group C on Monday.
Group C features defending champions Senegal, Ghana, the Central African Republic, and DR Congo.
