Golden Eaglets of Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire in their final U17 WAFU B group game, a result that saw them miss out on qualification for next year’s U17 AFCON, reports www.aclsports.com.
Following a 2-1 loss in their opening game against Niger, the Golden Eaglets came into the contest in search of a win to reach the next round of the competition against Côte d’Ivoire, who drew 1-1 with Niger in the group’s first game. But they failed to get it, and they have been sent out of the competition.
Despite the wholesome changes made by the technical crew led by Eboboritse Uwejamomere, the team struggled after the initial bright start to the contest at Stade du 4-août in Ouagadougou on Saturday.
When Nigeria started settling into the game, the Ivorians struck to go in front. A corner kick from the left was poorly defended by the backline, allowing Alex Bamba to bundle it home in the 17th minute. After going behind again, the performance went flat, and the team barely tested the Ivorians.
Before and after the interval, the technical crew made changes to the team in order to compete again. Substitute Abiodun John scored five minutes from time to drag Nigeria back into the game, but it was little too late, as they could only settle for a draw.
The Golden Eaglets have now been bundled out of the competition and will consequently miss both the AFCON and the World Cup tournament next year.
