Flying Eagles head coach Abdul Maikaba has praised his players’ character and tactical discipline following Nigeria’s impressive 4-2 victory over Ghana in their opening Group B match at the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship in Côte d’Ivoire.
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Speaking after the thrilling encounter, Maikaba said his side’s early goal played a crucial role in boosting the team’s confidence, even though Ghana controlled large spells of the opening half.
“We’re happy with the victory over Ghana, especially the way we started by getting our first goal within the opening five minutes,” Maikaba said.
“That gave us the confidence to continue with the game. Although Ghana dictated play for about the first 25 minutes, we realised where we were getting it wrong and corrected it before half-time. We were able to score two more goals after Ghana equalised.”
The coach explained that the second half became more tactical, with Nigeria adopting a disciplined defensive approach before striking on the counter-attack.
“The second half was more tactical from both teams. At 3-1, we stayed compact behind the ball and waited for opportunities to transition from defence to attack, and that gave us another goal. We also earned a penalty towards the end, which sealed the victory.”
Maikaba admitted he expected a difficult contest against the Black Satellites, describing Nigeria versus Ghana as one of African football’s fiercest rivalries.
“Any time Nigeria play Ghana, it’s always a tough game. As I said before the match, it could have gone either way. But scoring first gave us the advantage, and that was part of our plan.”
” We wanted to score within the first 15 minutes and fortunately we got it in the first five.”
The Flying Eagles coach also reserved special praise for two-goal striker Abdelmouiz Adeleke, describing him as one of the continent’s brightest young attacking talents.
“I believe Adeleke is one of the best young strikers in Africa.
He already has a pre-contract with Chelsea and will complete his professional move when he turns 18.”
“He’s a very good player, although he even missed several clear chances today. On another day, he could have scored more goals from open play.”
Despite scoring four times, Maikaba felt his side could have won by a much wider margin.
“In the last 10 minutes, we created three or four more scoring opportunities but narrowly missed the target. The boys were a little anxious in front of goal. Had they remained calmer, we could have scored five or even six goals.”
Looking ahead to Nigeria’s next Group B fixture against Togo, the experienced tactician warned against complacency, insisting every game must be treated with equal importance.
“We have finished with the first game and now our focus shifts to Togo. They are not pushovers, and it’s another rivalry match. We have to prepare very well and make sure we get the second victory that will secure our place in the semi-finals.”
