The Eagles lost 1-0 to Gambia to miss a chance to play their tenth final in the competition. That result relegated them to play for bronze against a Tunisian side that was walloped 3-0 by Senegal.
Nigeria’s U-20 coach Ladan Bosso is carrying the burden of cheering up the Flying Eagles ahead of their U-20 Africa Cup of Nations third-place playoff against Tunisia on Friday.
The Eagles lost 1-0 to Gambia to miss a chance to play their tenth final in the competition. That result relegated them to play for bronze against a Tunisian side that was walloped 3-0 by Senegal.
Bosso said that the result left the team crestfallen but hopes his efforts to psyche them up will do the magic on Friday.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to play the losers game but sports come that way,” the coach told media ahead of the game.
“When we lose out the psyche and put too much pressure on ourselves, it will not go well for the future of these boys.
“So, we have decided to psyche them up and let them know that even if we lost in the semifinal, we can still go back to Lagos with something which is better than nothing,” he revealed his plan.
Bosso has also hinted at giving the players who didn’t feature in the preliminary matches some playing time.
“Every player in this tournament deserves playing time and that’s what I intend to achieve,” he added.
U20 AFCON 2023 - Friday fixture
Third-place playoff: Nigeria vs Tunisia
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