U-17 AFCON: Ugbade Happy With Golden Eaglets Performance After Burkina Faso Defeat

Golden Eaglets head coach Nduka Ugbade says he's happy with his players' performance following their defeat to Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

The Eaglets were beaten 2-1 by the Young Stallions to end their dreams of representing Africa at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in November.

Speaking after the defeat to Burkina Faso, Ugbade said: “The players are disappointed of course because they are young but we must support them because they need to continue their careers. 

"We should work on their development because I believe that some of these players will eventually move to the senior national team.

“I am happy with the performance of our players and in such competitions, even if you lose, you gain something by developing the players for the future.”

Ugbade however attributed his team's defeat to their failings in front of goal.

“Everything worked as we had planned, but we could not score with the chances we had. 

"We paid dearly for that. We learn the lessons and move on,” he said.