Nigeria’s U20 side, the Flying Eagles, were beaten 1-0 by the Young Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the 2025 WAFU B U20 Boys Tournament decided on Wednesday night, www.aclsports.com reports.
It was a clash of two unbeaten sides in the final, as Nigeria, who came through top of group A, faced off against the Ivorians, who also finished top of group B with maximum points. In the semis, Nigeria edged Niger via penalties, while the Baby Elephants defeated hosts Ghana 2-1 to seal their place in this final.
After missing the semis due to card accumulation, defenders Ahmed Akinyele and Okoro Odinaka returned to the starting XI for Aliyu Zubairu’s side. The Flying Eagles started the game better and could have been ahead on multiple occasions in the first half, but goalkeeper Christian Ziyui was brilliant between the sticks for Cote d’Ivoire.
Nigeria, the seven-time African champions, proved a tough opponent for Cotê d’Ivoire in Wednesday’s final. However, the Ivorians eventually broke the deadlock in stoppage time when Nigerian goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt spilled a free-kick, gifting Zakaria Tindano the chance to slot home the decisive goal and seal victory.
Next up for Aliyu Zubairu and his men in 2025 is the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile where Nigeria, alongside Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa Africa’s representatives.
