Flying Eagles’ coach Aliyu Zubair hails players despite loss to Chile

By Tosin Omojola –

Flying Eagles’ head coach, Aliyu Zubair, has reacted to his team’s 0-1 loss to Chile in their FIFA U-20 World Cup Group F opener on Monday night, praising his players for their commitment and fighting spirit, while insisting that the defeat was more about misfortune than poor execution.

“The boys played their hearts out. They did everything humanly possible to make sure we won the match,” Zubair said after the encounter. “Even from the start, we created chances, but unfortunately our efforts kept hitting the bar. It just felt like we weren’t lucky.”

The Flying Eagles dominated possession for most part of the encounter, creating numerous scoring opportunities, but their lack of composure in front of goal, coupled with a resilient Chilean backline, denied them.

The former El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri gaffer stressed that the game underlined the harsh reality of football.

“Possession doesn’t win matches. If just one of our attempts had gone in, it would have changed the situation,” he noted. “But that is the way the game comes, and we have to take it as it is.”

Despite the setback, Zubair expressed optimism about Nigeria’s chances in the tournament, turning attention to the must-win clash against Saudi Arabia.

“We are going to think about the next match. We just have to pick up the three points,” he assured.

The Flying Eagles will play their second game on Thursday against Saudi Arabia.