Nigeria U20 side, the Flying Eagles, defeated their counterparts from the Niger Republic on penalties to set up a final with Ivory Coast at the ongoing WAFUBU20 Boys Tournament in Accra on Sunday evening, www.aclsports.com reports.
Aliyu Zubairu’s side laboured hard in the semifinal contest against the Nigeriens. Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt, who made some strong saves during the game, saved one of the spot kicks in the shootout as Nigeria won 4-3 after it ended goalless in regulation time. The game was played at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram, Accra, Ghana.
The biggest miss from the starting lineup was Ahmed Akinyele, who was ruled out due to card accumulation. Freedom Marvelous started in his place on the right side of the backline, while Abduljelil Kamaldeen, who had a fine outing in the final group game against Benin, started ahead of Ezekiel Kpangu in a slight change in Zubairu’s line up.
In the first half, Nigeria fired three shots that failed to hit the target, with Niger not registering any attempt at goal despite threatening a couple of times. After the break, the defending champions intensified their attacks, persistently probing Niger’s backline, which operated a compact formation pattern that saw them concede just a goal all through the tournament.
With neither side able to find the breakthrough in regulation time, the match proceeded to penalties. Nigerian goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt gave his side an early advantage by saving Niger’s first spot kick, but the advantage was short-lived as defender Tahir Maigana missed his effort for Nigeria. However, skipper Daniel Bameyi stepped to convert the final spot-kick and send Nigeria into the final.
The victory propels Nigeria into the final on Wednesday, where they will face Côte d’Ivoire, who defeated Ghana 2-1 in the second semi-final.
