Flying Eagles captain, Daniel Bamayi, has hailed the current squad as a much-improved side as they gear up for this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
The team, who finished third at the U-20 AFCON in Egypt, came under criticism despite sealing qualification for the World Cup, with many faulting their lack of creativity and poor finishing.
Since arriving in Chile, the Flying Eagles have played two friendly matches drawing 1-1 with the hosts before defeating Australia 3-1 – performances that have boosted confidence in the camp.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Bamayi expressed optimism about the team’s readiness:
“We are happy and fully prepared. We’ve been training hard and I believe this is the right time to show what we’ve been working on,” he told the team’s media.
Reflecting on the 2023 U-20 World Cup, where Nigeria lost 1-0 to South Korea in the quarter-finals, Bamayi admitted there were painful lessons learned.
“We had the opportunity to win that game but didn’t take our chances, which cost us. This current team is an improved one – from WAFU to AFCON, and now at the World Cup, we want to correct our mistakes and do better.”
The Flying Eagles are drawn in Group F alongside Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia.
