Niger head coach Badou Zaki attributed his team’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ghana in the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers to exploiting the Black Stars’ defensive frailties.
In a post-match interview, Zaki revealed that his side approached the game with a clear strategy, having analyzed Ghana’s defensive vulnerabilities in previous tournaments.
From the last AFCON, we knew that the Ghanaian team can score, but they concede goals.
And our last match against Sudan gave us the confidence that we could do it,” Zaki explained, referring to his team’s successful outing against Sudan, which had bolstered their belief.
Despite the confidence, Zaki acknowledged the numerous challenges his players had to overcome.
A large portion of his squad consists of amateur players, and the logistical hurdles they faced, especially concerning travel, were significant.
Most of my players are amateurs in Niger.
For those outside, they travelled eighteen hours before games and often arrived a day before the match,” Zaki explained, underscoring the hardships his team endured in preparation for the match.
The travel difficulties were compounded by the team’s flights, which often took longer than expected, particularly on the route from Lomé to Accra.
Our flights often took an hour, even from Lomé to Accra.
If we had a plane that could make these trips in a shorter time, it would have helped a great deal,” Zaki added, hinting at the logistical challenges that added extra strain on his players.
Despite these obstacles, Niger’s resilience paid off as they clinched the win, securing third place in Group F with seven points.
However, their strong performance was not enough to see them through to the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco.
Despite missing out on qualification, Zaki’s men can take pride in a hard-earned victory against one of Africa’s top teams.
Though Niger’s journey to the tournament ends here, the result against Ghana highlighted their potential and the tactical acumen of their coach.
The team will now look ahead, with lessons learned from this qualification campaign that will hopefully serve them well in future competitions.
