Coach Aliyu Zubair optimistic as Flying Eagles concludes the preparation of the World Cup

Nigerian U-20 male team chief coach, the Flying Eagles, coach Aliyu Zubair has expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the team after the completion of his 12-day PRE-World Cup training program in Chile.

The team played two heating games, drawing 1-1 with Chile and ensuring a 3-1 victory over Australia, before its inaugural match against Norway.

In statements to the team’s media officer, the coach reflected on the team’s challenges during the Sub-20 Africa Cup in Egypt, particularly his overwhelming attack department, and observed significant improvements in recent games.

“In the two games we play here, the results were not even the most important thing. What mattered to us was to identify our deficiencies and work on them. Against Chile, we noticed many areas to improve, and by the time we face Australia, the corrections we made really worked. We saw a clear improvement,” he explained.

The Flying Eagles drawn a game and won one during their friendly exits in Chile, scoring four goals in total. Unlike Afcon, where the team had trouble finding the network, the coach pleased to see different players contributing objectives.

“In AFCon, our attack did not bit at all. But from these two games, you can see the difference: our attack is more acute, and we are exploiting the spaces better in the final third. It is a great improvement, and with the little time left before the World Cup, we will continue working on it,” he added.

In addition, he emphasized that the friendly games had increased team confidence and provided a clear address before his World Cup Opening Cup against Norway.

The flying eagles side is drawn in Group F with Norway, Colombia and Saudi Arabia.

The Nigeria Opening Party comes against Norway on Monday, September 29, followed by matches with Saudi Arabia on October 2 and Colombia on October 5.

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