By Daily Sports Nigeria on October 4, 2025

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets closed their WAFU B U-17 campaign with a professional 2-0 win over Burkina Faso in Friday’s third-place play-off in Yamoussoukro, but the victory was little more than consolation after another failed qualification bid for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

Ahmed Yusuf, handed his first start of the tournament, seized the moment with a clinical opener five minutes into the second half.

The lively forward drove a low strike past the Burkinabe goalkeeper to put Nigeria in front after the Eaglets had wasted several chances in the opening 45 minutes.

Substitute Famous Umole doubled the lead in the 77th minute, finishing off a precise through ball from Paul Ugwu to seal the result.

Yusuf, the standout performer, was deservedly named Player of the Match, giving Nigeria a glimpse of what might have been had he been trusted earlier in the campaign.

The result means Nigeria return home with bronze for the second consecutive year. It also paints a painful reality for the record five-time world champions, who will once again be absent when the continent gathers for next year’s U-17 AFCON.

The tournament had started brightly for Manu Garba’s boys, who dismantled Benin 4-1 in their opening game before being held to a goalless draw by Burkina Faso in the group stage.

With just three teams in Group B, that was enough to top the group, setting up a semi-final clash against rivals Ghana.

However, the Ghanaians exposed Nigeria’s fragility, punishing defensive errors to claim a 2-0 victory and deny the Eaglets a ticket to the AFCON.

Burkina Faso also lost their semi-final to hosts Ivory Coast, leaving both sides to scrap for third place on Friday.

For Nigeria, the bronze is scant reward. A proud football nation, home to some of the world’s finest youth talents, now faces tough questions about development, preparation, and whether the conveyor belt of talent that once dominated this level is stalling.

The Eaglets’ absence from the continental championship continues a worrying trend for Nigerian youth football, with successive teams failing to replicate the success of their predecessors, who won five FIFA U-17 World Cup titles.

Source Punch Ng

Posted October 4, 2025

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