Nigeria will play neighbours, Benin, in the final of the ongoing WAFU B U20 Championship in Niger on Friday, May 20, 2022 even though both sides have already qualified for the Total Energies U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
The tie for the grand finale was confirmed after both countries recorded victories in their respective semi-final matches of the competition on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria sealed their place in the final after an energy sapping 2-1 extra-time victory over Cote d’Ivoire while Benin stunned Burkina Faso 2-1 in the first game of the day at the Seyni Kountche Stadium in Niger.
The highly anticipated clash between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire lived up to expectation as the Flying Eagles imposed their physique on the Ivoirians to triumph.
Following the 1-1 draw in regulation time, Nigeria got the much-needed goal in extra-time through Ibrahim Yahaya, a goal that also secured the U20 AFCON qualification for his country after converting a 109th minute penalty.
Perfect start for the Flying Eagles
The Flying Eagles started the game on a good note and took advantage of an error by the Ivoirian goalkeeper to open the scoring early in the game. Daniel Daga’s goal on the 4th minute mark came from a corner kick taken by Ibrahim Muhammad.
The Ivoirians attempted to respond several times but Abdoulaye Djire (29th) and Abdramane Konate (30th) did not take advantage of the opportunities that came their way.
Just before the break, Seydou Traoré, the Elephants’ striker, got the Ivoirians back into the game when he combined effectively with his midfielders to restore parity.
The two sides tried to win the match after the break but the defenders of both teams stood tall until the end of regulation time. This took the game to extra-time where both teams played another 30 minutes after the regulatory 90 minutes.
Boosted by the instructions of their coach, Ldan Bosso, the Flying Eagles put the Elephants under intense pressure. They pushed the Junior Elephants until the second quarter of an hour when they got a penalty following a foul on Onuché Ogbelu. The resultant penalty was converted by Ibrahim Yahaya to restore his side’s lead.
The Flying Eagles imposed defensive rigour as the Ivoirians failed to find the keys to unlock the Nigerian defense until the final whistle.
Nigeria thus, progressed to the final to meet Benin which also beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in extra-time in the first semi-final. Benin’s top players scored two quick goals in extra-time through Malick Yongui and Djalilou Ibrahim before Nagoro Dao gave the Burkinabe some hope but it was too late to rescue the match for them.
Defending champion crashes out
Meanwhile, defending champions of the tournament, Ghana, failed to progress beyond the group stages as the Black Satellites succumbed to a defeat in the hands of Nigeria (2-0) in the first group match before Burkina Faso drove the last nail into their coffin, beating them 2-1.
The Burkinabe’s victory over Ghana did not only send them to the next stage of the competition but was also a swift revenge for them as they were defeated by Ghana in the finals of the previous edition by the same score line.
This means Ghana will miss the U20 AFCON tournament and has also lost the chance to play in the U20 FIFA World Cup in 2023.
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