Nigeria lose Wafu U17 Cup final to Ivory Coast

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The Golden Eaglets failed to lift the trophy after their narrow defeat to the Young Elephants at Stade de Kegue

Defending champions Nigeria lost 3-2 against Ivory Coast in the final of the Wafu B U17 tournament on Monday.

Two late goals from Ahmed Abdulahi were not enough to help the Golden Eagles lift the trophy after Sindou Kone, Abdrumane Konate and Seydou Traore strikes condemned Nigeria to their second defeat against the young Elephants in the tournament.

Fatai Amoo’s boys started the competition on a shaky note when they lost their opening Group B match to Ivory Coast.

Nigeria then secured a draw against Ghana in their second game in the competition and managed to reach the semi-finals of the tournament after results from other games favoured them.

The Golden Eaglets secured a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in the semi-final to advance into the final and subsequently qualified for the 2021 U17 Africa Cup of Nations which will take place in Morocco.

Nigeria, however, failed in the last hurdle after narrowly losing to the young Elephants in the Wafu final at Stade de Kegue.

Sindou ignited the surge of goals with a fine strike when he beat goalkeeper Destiny Emuwahem to put Ivory Coast in front in the 15th minute.

Moments before the hour mark, Abdrumane Konate doubled the Young Elephants’ lead with a well-taken effort.

In an effort to try and avoid defeat in the encounter coach Amoo made a number of substitutions, including introducing Abdulahi for Chijioke Vinci Osuji in the 65th minute.

Seydou Traore compounded the woes of the Golden Eaglets when he found the back of the net for Ivory Coast in the 84th minute to firmly put his side on the path to lifting the trophy.

Abdulahi then bagged two late goals, including a fine free-kick for Nigeria but the efforts were not enough to help Amoo’s Boys win the title for the second consecutive time.

FT in Lome.Cote D’Ivoire U17 3-2 Nigeria U17.Though they lost, they put in a good shift and a strong character in the second half. Coach Amoo certainly saddled with more work before the U17 Afcon in Morocco. #SoarGoldenEaglets#Team9jaStrong

The Golden Eaglets will be expected to return to Nigeria to prepare for the 2021 U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

They finished fourth at the 2019 edition in Tanzania to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, where they reached the round of 16 of the tournament.

Nigeria have won the U17 World Cup five times, making them the most successful team at the global tournament.

2021-01-19 10:00:05

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