AFCON U-17: World Cup Our Target Not Nigeria, Says Burkina Faso Coach

Nigeria’s quarter finals foes, Burkina Faso, has said their target remains the elusive FIFA Under-17 World Cup and nothing more.

Burkina Faso’s head coach Brahima Traore said after booking the quarter finals ticket that their primary target remains clinching a ticket to the FIFA World Cup, and this will require them to beat Nigeria, who they face in the quarter finals next Thursday in Algiers.

“We had two objectives in this tournament; first to get to the semi-finals and then to fight for the title. We will prepare well for Nigeria to enable us get to the semis and earn the World Cup ticket,” noted the tactician.

Burkina Faso now move from Annaba to Algiers, where they are scheduled to play the Golden Eaglets next Thursday.

He however lauded the team’s resilience as they earned a place in the quarter finals of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following a 2-1 win over Cameroon on Sunday.
They trailed 1-0 against the defending champions after 61 minutes, but scored two goals within two minutes in the final quarter of an hour to earn an automatic slot in the last eight.

“When we conceded the first goal, we just changed our system and tactics to be more attacking. We put pressure on them and scored the two goals. We worked hard and had a good fighting spirit. We went 1-0 down but never gave up. We had confidence in ourselves and I am happy with the desire shown by the players,” said the coach.


Discover more from LN247

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Advertisement

Most Popular This Week

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More from Author

Advertisement

Read Now

Galatasaray Crash Out of Europa League Despite Spirited Comeback

In the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 on February 20, 2025, Galatasaray hosted AZ Alkmaar at RAMS Park in Istanbul. Despite a spirited effort, the match concluded in a 2-2 draw, resulting in Galatasaray's elimination with a 6-3 aggregate loss. First Half: AZ Alkmaar...

Can Arsenal Still Win the EPL Considering Liverpool’s Current Form?

Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points with their draw at Aston Villa on Wednesday night. However, this was the second time in a week that they failed to secure a win, giving Arsenal a glimmer of hope. Arsenal sits eight...

Atalanta’s Silence: How the Club Mishandled the Gasperini-Lookman Controversy

It’s no secret that the football world has gone agog following Gasperini’s comment about his key role player and African best player Ademola Lookman. “Lookman is the worst penalty taker I’ve ever seen” “He shouldn’t have taken the penalty” Many would wonder in all this, why is the club...

Discover more from LN247

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading