U23 AFCON Qualifier: Olympic Eagles Coach Salisu Yusuf Reacts As Nigeria Fail to Defeat Guinea in Abuja

• The coach watched helplessly as Nigeria's U23 side failed to defeat their Guinean counterparts
• It was a dog fight finish at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, but both teams had to settle for a draw
• The reverse fixture of the encounter will be held in Morocco and Salisu is optimistic of victory

The head coach of the Nigeria U23 team Salisu Yusuf has reacted to his side’s 0-0 draw with the Junior Syli of Guinea at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

Salisu’s boys played below expectations as they were overwhelmed throughout the encounter and we were lucky not to have conceded any goal.

The visitors took the game to the Nigerians, dominating proceedings from the start of the encounter and had two great chances to get a goal.

But somehow the hosts managed a draw. It went from bad to worse when defender Christopher Nwaeze received his marching orders after he was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time.

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The second leg is slated for Morocco in four days and Coach Salisu Yusuf is positive that his side can get the desired results.

Speaking with Sports Brief after the goalless draw in Abuja, the tactician said:

"It’s going to be very tough. I believe if we are focused and we have the positive mindset to go there and win, we can win even away.

"The most important thing is we didn’t lose here because they had two shots on goal which were very critical. Thank God the defenders are up to it but I still believe we can still qualify for the if we work extra hard.

"I am disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world as we can correct mistakes."

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The winner over the two legs of the encounter will qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations which will serve as the qualifier for the Olympic Games.

Asamoah Gyan visits Ghana U23 team

Sports Brief earlier reported that former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan paid a visit to the Ghana U23 team ahead of their CAF U23 Cup of Nations qualifiers against Algeria.

The Black Meteors are preparing for the double-header against Algeria in the final round of qualifiers for the tournament to be hosted in Morocco.

Ghana will travel to Algiers for the first leg on March 24, before hosting the North Africans in Kumasi four days later.