Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have reached the final of the WAFU B U20 Championship after defeating the Niger Republic 3-1 in Togo on Sunday night.
The defending champions rallied from an early goal down to claim their second victory of the tournament, securing their place in the next U20 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
A superb brace from Clinton Jephta and a powerful strike from Alonge Olalekan sealed the win for Nigeria over their West African neighbors. Nigeria started well at the Stade de Kegue in Lome, Togo, though it was Niger who struck first, breaking the deadlock ten minutes into the match. The Flying Eagles responded strongly, leveling the score before halftime as Jephta unleashed an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner of the Nigerien net.
Shortly after the break, Jephta struck again, turning the match in Nigeria’s favor with a precise shot from inside the box. Olalekan then capped off the victory with a late goal deep into stoppage time.
With this win, Nigeria advanced to the final, where they will defend their title against their rivals, Ghana’s Black Satellites, who edged out Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in the other semifinal.
Both Nigeria and Ghana have now qualified for next year’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
