Nigeria’s national U-23 football team, Olympic Eagles’ Coach, Salisu Yusuf, has attributed the lustreless goalless draw result his team achieved against the U-23 Syli National of Guinean in their 2023 U-23 AFCON qualifier Final Round first leg in Abuja on Wednesday to pressure and insufficient time to prepare, Completesports.com reports.
Speaking after the match at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja, Salisu said the pressure came about when the Olympic Eagles failed to take their chance in the first half, adding they were in much hurry to get a goal and lost focus in the process.
“I am disappointed that we didn’t win the game but all hope is not lost. We go for the second leg in Morocco full of hope and I believe we will get it right in that second leg. Football is very unpredictable, so don’t write us off,” Yusuf told Completesports.com.
“My boys bowed to pressure, allowing the Guineans to dominate the game in the midfield but without breaching our defense. We wanted to win the game, but self-inflicted pressure and lack of cohesion in our game cost us victory.
“We shall go for the second leg in Morocco as if we are already two goals down. We shall fight them with all our hearts. They will come out to attack us in the reverse fixture and in football anything can happen. If we had taken our two clear chances, we could have been smiling now.
“Our preparation for this game was not sufficient enough to blend the overseas-based with the home-based players well before this game. However, with a few more days of training before the second leg to prepare in Morocco, we shall try not to disappoint Nigerians,” Yusuf started.
Olympic Eagles will face the U-23 Syli National of Guineain the second leg at Complexe Sportif Prince Heritier Moulay Al Hassan in Rabat, Morocco on Tuesday, March 28 2023 at 8pm Nigerian time (7pm Moroccan time).
The winner over two legs will qualify for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco which will also serve as CAF qualifiers for Paris 2024 Olympic Games’ men’s football event.
By Richard Jideaka, Abuja
13 Comments
Not tenable dear coach. your boys were playing at home, who puts them under pressure? You definitely do not have a game plan. From your preparation, we know you wanted to cheat by fielding overage, which was busted. You also failed to invite good players rather, you call you ATM guys, those that will dance to your corrupt mindset.
I feel you don’t deserve the position you currently occupy.
Imagine Gift Orban is not part of this team because you will not take counsel. It is true you sent an invite to him but the question is when did the invite get to him?
Coaches of your caliber in my view don’t-even deserve NPFL talkless of the National Team.
Have you ever won any trophy in your life??? Why did you accept this Job when you know you’re not good enough to deliver and make up excuses??? I am not wishing you bad luck but I pray that God will not let you succeed if it’s corruption you want to continue doing with our national team. Same prayers applies to other coaches of the national team….. This early hours I just read the pages and there’s no reason to smile because of all this incompetent national team coaches that has zero trophy cabinet and corrupt entities.
This coach Salisu is good. Patience is needed here. Love you all. Kisses.
BRIBERY COACH DO NOT DESERVE TO BE IN ANY NATIONAL TEAM
HE IS NOT A GOOD COACH
Useless. Please sack him. The football of the Under 23 Olympic team is nothing but an eyesore. Nothing to write home about. You can’t give what you don’t have. I watched the Sénégalaise team play against Guinea. What a delight to watch. I bet you they will beat any team that stand before them. They went for the best legs in Europe and blended it with few under 20 players that just won the African championship. If Senegal have a player like Gift Orban he will be the number one in their list. Nigerian are always doing things upside down. Who have bewitched us?
Right from day 1 everybody knows you have nothing to deliver/offer. But the rate of corruption,nepotism and religious bigotry in Nigeria keep on blindfolding the citizens believing that such corrupt persons like Salisu,Bosso,Aigbodun ,Amamkpo,and Garba will ever deliever.
Garba is miles ahead of these guys Abeg don’t add him to this list. Garba won u17 WC and played beautiful football in the process he discovered Kelechi Ndidi and a few stars we know Today. He also won u20 CAF but fell in the quarter final of U20 World Cup to Brazil star studded team led by inform Gabriel Jesus. The match was full of goals and could have gone anyway plus terrible officiating. Omo Manu Garba is a legend and that is the only reason he will not be employed because NFF doesn’t like good thing that will not compromise.
While I agree Garba is ahead of these guys your facts are wrong about the 2015 under 20 wc….We were knocked out by a German team that was captained by Akpogunma and we had played Brazil in the group stage where we lost 4-2
Darling Football fanatic, you are so right. Kisses.
Chima made a honest mistake. You are both beautiful guys. Love you. Xxx
He coach Kano Pillars, the club was relegated. He was moved to the Super Eagles, we didn’t qualify for 2022 World cup. He was moved to CHAN Eagles of Nigeria, he failed to qualify the team for 2022 CAF Nation Cup Championship held in Algeria and won by Senegal. He again has been moved to U23 Olympic Eagles and he has started his March to another disappointing result at home. This is the score card of Yusuff as coach of our various national teams for the past 4years. I believe if we fail to qualify U23 for U23 Afcon the corrupt NFF will find a way to inculcate him into Super Eagles team. Take note of this last statement and let us watch. I keep my fingers crossed and the score card of this NFF continue. God bless Nigeria.
thank you for mentioning this list of misfits. they have nothing to offer nigeria football, they are full of controversies and one can only assume that the have someone powerful in the NFF keeping them in their jobs
Can you hear mumu coach.
this man should never be given charge of any National team in this country ever again. he is so filled with controversy that one cant help but wonder why he keeps being given the job to mess up our age group teams.