For the second tournament in a row, the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will miss the U17 AFCON after falling to a 2-0 defeat against arch-rivals Ghana in the WAFU B semifinal on Wednesday night in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
The result marks a bitter setback for Nigeria’s five-time world champions at this level, who will now have to settle for a third-place playoff against Burkina Faso.
Golden Eaglets undone by quickfire Ghanaian goals
The clash began brightly for the Golden Eaglets, who looked sharp and pressed high in the opening minutes.
But Ghana’s clinical edge made the difference as they struck twice in the space of nine first-half minutes to seize control.
Michael Awuli opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a composed finish after a defensive lapse from Nigeria.
Robinho Yao doubled the lead in the 31st minute, capitalising on another moment of slack defending to silence the Eaglets’ early momentum.
Despite Nigeria’s attempts to regroup after the interval — pushing forward and creating half-chances — they found no way past Ghana’s disciplined backline.
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire seal U17 AFCON spots
Earlier in the day, hosts Côte d’Ivoire edged past Burkina Faso 2-1 in the other semifinal.
By reaching the final, both Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have officially booked their tickets to next year’s U17 AFCON, a competition that also serves as a qualifier for the FIFA U17 World Cup.
For the Golden Eaglets, the loss means missing the continental showpiece for the second straight edition—a stark contrast to their historic pedigree as five-time world champions and two-time African champions.
The Nigerian side will now face Burkina Faso in Saturday’s third-place playoff—a rematch of their goalless Group B meeting last week—hoping to salvage pride and end the tournament on a positive note.
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