Nigeria U20 side, the Flying Eagles, were soundly beaten by the Young Stallions of Burkina Faso in the final of this year’s WAFU B U20 Championship on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
It is the second time the Abdu Maikaba-led side will battle the Burkinabes in this competition; both teams met in the group stage, with the Young Stallions winning 2-0. Once again, the Stallions reigned supreme, cruising to a 4-1 win at Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro to clinch the trophy and secure AFCON qualification.
Despite the promise of redemption from coach Abdu Maikaba before the contest, the Flying Eagles fell in the opening quarter when they conceded three quick-fire goals.
Alassana Bagayogo opened the scoring in the fourth minute before Asharaf Tapsoba doubled the lead for the Stallions just two minutes later. Then Issouf Dabo headed home from a corner kick in the 15th minute to put Burkina Faso firmly in the lead.
Maikaba’s Boys failed to get a grip on the game for the remainder of the half. After the interval, Abdulmuiz Adeleke scored from the spot early on as they tried staging a comeback. However, the opposition stood firm to preserve their lead before Fadil Barro scored a low free-kick in stoppage time to restore Burkina Faso’s three-goal cushion and eventually secure the title.
The Flying Eagles, who were the defending champions coming into the tournament, have been dethroned by the Young Stallions and will also miss out on being WAFU B’s second representative at next year’s U20 AFCON, with hosts Ghana already guaranteed a place in the finals.
