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Nigeria’s reign as WAFU B U20 champions came to a dramatic end following a narrow 1-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire in a tense final at the University of Ghana Stadium on Wednesday night, Footynaija.com reports.
After a promising run to the final, the Flying Eagles were undone by a stoppage-time blunder that handed victory to the Young Elephants.
It was a cruel end to a tournament that had seen coach Aliyu Zubairu’s side show resilience and determination. Nigeria had battled past Benin and Ghana in the group stage, and overpowered Niger in the semi-final before advancing to the final.
The final itself was an evenly balanced contest. Nigeria enjoyed a strong first half, applying pressure and creating several openings, but failed to find the net.
Côte d’Ivoire, boasting a flawless record throughout the competition, grew into the match in the second half, with their front line starting to stretch the Nigerian defence.
With both teams seemingly preparing for a penalty shootout, a speculative freekick deep into injury time slipped through the Nigerian goalkeeper’s hands, allowing an Ivorian striker to capitalise and slot in the winner.
Despite the heartbreak, Nigeria can take positives from the campaign, especially as they continue preparations for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile this September, a tournament they qualified for after reaching the U20 AFCON semifinals earlier this year in Morocco.
Ghana sealed third place earlier in the day with a 2-0 win over Niger.
