Rapha Adams scored the decisive goal for Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets in their 1-0 victory over Niger Republic at the ongoing WAFU Zone B Under-17 Championship in Ghana on Sunday evening.
Following a disappointing draw in their first game against Burkina Faso, coach Manu Garba made two changes to the starting lineup to enhance the team’s attacking fluency. Despite dominating possession for most of the first half, the Golden Eaglets struggled with the final connection between midfield and attack, due to the poor pitch conditions.
The breakthrough came in the 31st minute when Rapha Adams took advantage of a defensive error to score a close-range header, giving Nigeria a 1-0 lead. Niger Republic nearly equalized in the 42nd minute, but Mohammed Bourdia’s shot hit the crossbar.
The second half saw Niger Republic pressing hard for an equalizer. Nigeria’s Okorie Chibuike committed a foul outside the box and was sent off. Niger Republic were awarded a freekick just outside the Box-18 but the Nigeria’s Goalkeeper, Dominic Chinedu made a crucial save from Mukhtar’s effort o keep Nigeria in the lead.
The 10-man Golden Eaglets demonstrated resilience, thwarting Niger Republic’s efforts to score. The match ended with a 1-0 victory for Nigeria. The Golden Eaglets now have four points from two games and need just one point from their last match against Togo on Wednesday to qualify to the knockout stage.
