Head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 team, Emmanuel Amuneke, says he is happy to have qualified for the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, after a thrilling 4-2 win over Mexico in their semi-final clash.
The Golden Eaglets, who are the defending champions, will now face African champions, Mali in the final on Sunday.
“It was a difficult match in which both teams did their best. We give credit to Mexico because of their performance and its level of play,” Amuneke said in an interview with FIFA.com.
“We are happy to be in the final and have the chance to defend the world title. Mali is a good team, Africa’s champion. This is going to be an interesting challenge.”
Mexico coach, Arteaga blamed his side’s failure to convert their chances for the loss.
He said: “We know that it would be a tough game, the toughest game in this World Cup. Both teams had chances.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t score, Nigeria did. This was the difference. But that is football. After our equalizer, we thought we controlled the game but then Nigeria scored surprisingly.
“We wanted to reach the final but we failed. Of course, the team is sad but we have to focus now on the third place match.”
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