Maikaba reveals how Nigeria beat Ghana despite early pressure
The coach of the Flying Eagles Abdul Maikaba has revealed how his team were able to overcome their Ghanaian counterparts by 4-2 in a WAFU B U-20 opening Group B game despite early pressure from their opponents.
Maikaba who spoke to the press after the encounter said that he had to make some adjustments to his team play in the game to withstand the constant wave of pressure applied by the Ghanaian team.
According to Maikaba, his team’s first goal in the match gave them confidence to take the game to their opponents despite the fact that the Ghanaians dictated play in the first 25 minutes.
“Getting our first goal in the opening five minutes gave us the confidence to continue with the game,” Maikaba said after the game.
“Despite the fact that Ghana dictated play in the first 25 minutes, we realised where we were getting it wrong, and we rectified it just before half-time.”
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The Flying Eagles took an early lead in the game in the 6th minute when fullback Olayemi Ayinla opened the scoring for Nigeria with a powerful strike.
The Black Satellites briefly restored parity when Mohammed Zaidan scored off an assist from captain Kelvin Nkrumah to send scores of their fans who thronged the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire into excitement.
Nigeria took the lead again in the game in the 30th minute when Lucky Oraro fired home a deflected free-kick. His teammate, Abdulmuiz Adeleke converted a penalty shortly before halftime to put Nigeria up 3-1.
However, Ghana fought back to make it 3-2 after converting a penalty of their own in the second half but Adeleke put the game beyond the Ghanaians in the 88th minute when he converted another penalty to seal his brace and the 4-2 win.
The Flying Eagles will play Togo’s Junior Sparrow Hawks in their next Group B match on Thursday, 30 July 2026 at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro.
