Italy were favourites to defeat Nigeria, but Ladan Bosso’s lads put up a strong performance to ensure that they emerged on top
Flying Eagles midfielder Victor Eletu has revealed that they were able to defeat Italy on Wednesday because they played as a team, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 in their opening game of the 2023 Under-20 World Cup. However, they were faced with a way tougher Italian opposition in their second game.
Nonetheless, Ladan Bosso’s men put up a solid performance to claim a massive 2-0 victory. Goals from Salem Fargo and Sunday sealed the victory for the Flying Eagles. The win stamped Nigeria’s place in the round of 16 of the competition.
AC Milan midfielder Eletu, who got his first start in the competition against Italy was happy with the result, and he revealed that Nigeria’s team play was the reason they won the game.
“I am very happy that we won today, I am very happy with how the team played because we showed great character,” Eletu said.
“I know we can go far in this competition because we have a very good team. We played as a team today and that’s why we could beat a strong opponent like Italy.”
Next up for the Flying Eagles is a crunch game against Brazil. They defeated the Dominican Republic 6-0, and they would need to defeat Nigeria to stand a chance of qualifying for the next round.