The Nigerian men’s soccer team had its trip to the Rio Olympics delayed by an airport mix-up, forcing the players to take a flight from Atlanta to Brazil on the day of their opening match.

The team arrived in the jungle city of Manaus about six hours before the start of its 5-4 victory over Japan.

Bunmi Jinadu, the founder of United Soccer Africa, disputed reports that the team missed its original flight because of a money issue between the Nigerian government and a charter company. Delta Air Lines cited a “communications mix-up” that grounded the team’s original flight.

Jinadu said the problem stemmed from poor planning and coordination on the part of the Nigerian team in leaving Atlanta, where it had been training for the Games. He said the team had assumed it could simply buy plane tickets to Rio at the last minute — just as Nigerians do in their home country to book travel.