Head coach of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles Isah Ladan Bosso says Nigerians should expect a “creditable performance” from his wards when the Under 20 FIFA World Cup (U20WC) gets underway this weekend.
Bosso spoke aftermath of his side’s 3-3 draw with Colombia in their last friendly match before the competition on Tuesday in Buenos Aires.
“We are focused on the big challenge ahead, which is to put up a creditable performance that will match the pedigree of our country at this championship,” said Bosso to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) website.
The Flying Eagles have been in Argentina, hosts of the 2023 U20WC for the past ten days and had already engaged in two friendly matches before Tuesday’s game.
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In the friendly match, Bosso’s men came from two goals down to level scores against the Los Cafeteros who are also preparing for their eleventh appearance at the U20 World Cup.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will face tournament’s debutant Dominican Republic in their opening game on Sunday in Mendoza and Bosso believes the friendly result will help his team.
“Our ultimate target is to have a good campaign and with this result, we will be very ready for our first match against the Dominican Republic on Sunday. I am happy with the result.
“This will bolster the team mentally and psychologically for the World Cup starting in a few days. The match has provided us with a stiff test and has also strengthened us for the big task ahead,” added Bosso.
The 2023 tournament will be the second time that the former Abia Warriors, Bayelsa United (etc) head coach will lead Nigeria to the U20 World Cup. He led the team to a quarter final finish at the 2007 tournament hosted by Canada.
The match against Colombia drew the curtain on the Flying Eagles’ activities in Buenos Aires, and they have flown into Mendoza on Wednesday afternoon ahead of their first game against the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Their second match, against Italy on Wednesday next week, will also take place in Mendoza.
