THE Flying Eagles of Nigeria came back from a goal down to beat Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 in Lome, Togo yesterday to progress to the semi-finals of this year’s WAFU B U-20 Championship.
Burkina Faso’s Young Etalons were therefore knocked out on inferior goals scored to those of the Flying Eagles and the Young Elephants.
Nigeria scored two goals and conceded two, same for the Ivorians, with all three teams in Group B finishing with three points each.
The Burkinabes scored one and conceded one, in beating Nigeria and losing to the Ivorians by the same 1-0 score.
Victory handed Aliyu Zubair’s side the opportunity to continue chasing the defence of their title, won in Niamey, Nigeria Republic two years ago.
Cote d’Ivoire had a goal disallowed in the 48th minute, but they broke the deadlock 14 minutes later.
Clinton Jephta equalised for the Flying Eagles shortly after, and Kparobo Ariehi scored the winning goal.
“We showed resilience and determination,” said Flying Eagles head coach Aliyu Zubairu in his post-match interview.
“We’re delighted with the victory and look forward to the semi-finals.”
Nigeria will take on Niger Republic in Saturday’s semi-final clash.
