Niger U17 coach Soumaila Tiemogo has written off Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, boasting his team will reverse a 1-0 loss in Abuja by winning 3-0 in the return leg at home to advance to the next round of the tournament.
“In Niamey, we beat Nigeria 3-0 insha Allah. We prepared very well for this qualifier. The Nigeria team are not a team,” said the coach.
“Once we score the first goal, everything will change.”
However, Eaglets coach Manu Garba argued that Niger will be under pressure to win in front of their fans and that could well work against them.
“Niger are not a bad team, but they will be the ones under pressure in the return leg,” he said.
The Eaglets smashed past their Niger counterparts in 2012 6-0 at home after winning the first leg in Niamey 4-1.
At the 2015 U17 AFCON hosted by Niger, Nigeria again triumphed 2-0 with goals by Kelechi Nwakali and Victor Osimhen.
By Kola Daniel