Nigeria’s U-20 boys, the Flying Eagles, will take on the rampaging Young Elephants of Ivory Coast in the final of the WAFU B U-20 Boys Tournament on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana.
The Ivorians have been the standout team of the tournament so far, cruising to the final with a perfect record. They saw off Burkina Faso 2–1 in their opener, followed up with narrow victories over Niger Republic (1–0) and Togo (2–0), before coming from behind to stun hosts Ghana 2–1 in the semi-finals.
In contrast, the Flying Eagles have had to dig deep to reach the final. Mohammed Abdullahi’s late strike salvaged a 1–1 draw against Ghana in their opening game, before a commanding 4–1 win over Benin Republic secured their semi-final place. In the last four, Nigeria edged Niger Republic 4–3 on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation time.
Wednesday’s final at the WAFU B Centre of Excellence in Prampram promises fireworks, with the President of WAFU B, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, expected to be in attendance alongside other dignitaries.
More Read
For Flying Eagles head coach Aliyu Zubair, it’s another chance to add to his growing CV. The former ABS FC tactician led Nigeria to the WAFU B title in Togo last year and secured a FIFA U20 World Cup slot at the U20 AFCON in Egypt earlier this year.
All eyes will be on forward Mohammed Abdullahi and midfielder Ezekiel Kpangu to provide the spark for Nigeria, while Côte d’Ivoire will rely on the dangerous duo of Abdoul Bamba and Ali Kone to continue their unbeaten run.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
