BEVERLY HILLS, January 19, (THEWILL) – The final match in the West African Football Union (WAFU) Zone B qualifiers had no role to play in the qualifying series as the two finalists, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets and the Baby Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, had secured their spots in the 2021 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be hosted in Morocco. But, there were still stakes in the final.
The stakes were high as recognition as champions of the WAFU series and boasting rights at the youth level of continental football. Also, for the Golden Eaglets, it could not be higher as defending champions and the need to get their pound of flesh from the team that defeated them earlier in the series.
On all these counts, the boys representing Nigeria failed. They could not defend their Zone B title as they fell to a 3-2 loss in the tournament showpiece event staged at the Stade de Kégué, Lomé on Monday night.
It was only two weeks ago that the Baby Elephants beat the Golden Eaglets by a lone goal in their opening game of the competition. It gave their final meeting extra significance and Nigeria had more reason to fight for victory. But it was the Ivorians that persevered to win by another one extra goal margin.
The testy affair opened up in the 15th minute, when Cote d’Ivoire cracked the deadlock. Sindou slotted home from a corner kick that the Nigerians failed to deal with. They almost doubled their lead 17 minutes later but for the reflexes of Nigeria’s goalkeeper Destiny Emuwahem.
In the 43rd minute, Nigeria’s best chance to sneak in an equaliser in the first half fell to Christian Nwachukwu but his long-range effort went over the bar to leave it at a deficit for Nigeria going into the interval.
The second half got worse very quickly as Abdrumane Konate made it 2-0 for the Baby Elephants just before the hour mark. The odds staked against Fatai Amoo’s charges seemed insurmountable when substitute Seydou Traore scored a third for Ivory Coast in the 84th minute.
With just six minutes of the match left on the clock, Ahmed Abdullahi, on as a 65th minute substitute, scored two quick fire goals but, those efforts proved too little too late as the Golden Eaglets ran out of time to find an equaliser and had to settle for second best.
The Golden Eaglets have aspects of their game that need upgrading and coach Fatai Amoo will have his hands full if the national youth team is prepared to imitate their predecessors and keep Nigeria’s enviable record in youth competitions going strong.a
A stronger defence line and an attacking force that is clinical to convert chances created are non-negotiable improvements for better results for the U-17s going forward.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
