Nigeria's Flying Eagles eye quarter-finals against Morocco in U20 AFCON

Photo Credit - NFF Media.

Nigeria's U-20 head coach Aliyu Zubairu has said his team are aiming to seal their quarter-finals spot, when they lock horns with Morocco in Group B on Sunday, May 4.

Coach Zubairu's Flying Eagles edged Tunisia 1-0 in their opening Group B match, placing them second in their group with 3 points, behind table toppers Morocco, who also have three points after a 3-2 showdown against Kenya.

Speaking after his team's victory against the Eagles of Carthage, the Flying Eagles coach explained that first victories in competitions like this are important, building the team's confidence as the tournament progresses.

“Normally, first matches in competition like this are always very, very difficult, very hard,” said Zubairu. “The fact that we aim to get the World Cup ticket, the boys realized we had to get the first step right, which is today's match. And that is exactly what's played out in the match.

“And that is going to give us at least some level of confidence, as the boys will play the next match with at least some degree of security, considering that we got the maximum three points in this match.”

With his focus on the game at hand, he added that his boys are fully focused on the Morocco encounter. Both sides will be riding high on their maiden victories, as the seven-time AFCON champions target a victory to ensure they advance to the next round of the tournament.

“We are playing each match accordingly. Against Tunisia, the match is gone. Then our game plan against Morocco, we are going to work towards that,” he stated.

“Yes, we are going to approach Morocco's match with concentration and seriousness, considering the fact that Morocco won their first match against Kenya 3-2. And I believe that is going to give them confidence as well.

“But we are going to make sure that we seal up the qualification from the group from that match. If we are able to get three points against Morocco, we'll have qualified from the group to the next stage.”

Coach Zubairu also called on Nigerians to keep supporting the team as they will make them proud. “I would say that you continue to be with the team, continue to give us support. We promise that we're not going to let them down,” he concluded.

The clash between the Flying Eagles of Nigeria and Atlas Lions of Morocco means more than three points to both sides as victory seals their spot in the U-20 AFCON quarter-finals.