Nigeria U20 side, the Flying Eagles, came from behind to wallop their counterparts from Benin Republic 4-1 to book their spots in the semifinals of the WAFU B U20 Boys Tournament in Accra on Sunday evening, www.aclsports.com reports.
Aliyu Zubairu’s side, who needed a late goal to rescue a point against Ghana in their tournament opener, had to stage a comeback to claim their first win of the competition. Goals from Abdullahi Muhammed, Ezekiel Kpangu, Imrana Muhammad, and Abduljelil Kamaldeen turned things around as they booked their place in the knockout stages.
The head coach kept faith with the same side that started against Ghana, with Daniel Bameyi and Ahmed Akinyele starting at the heart of the backline once again. Just like they did in their first game, the Nigerians struggled to get hold of possession before the Benin side went ahead from Junior Olugbade’s free kick midway through the half. However, the Flying Eagles were level just five minutes from the break through Abdullahi Muhammed’s cool finish.
After the interval, the Flying Eagles came out flying, and they went ahead for the first time in the game through Ezekiel Kpangu’s smart finish in the 48th minute. Two further goals from substitutes Imrana Muhammad and Abduljelili Kamaldeen in the final moments of the game put the Cheetahs to the sword, as Nigeria took an important win.
With the win, the Flying Eagles have booked their spot in the semifinals of the competition and will now wait for their opponents from the other group. Meanwhile, the final game of the group between Ghana and Benin will be played on Wednesday, June 16.
