Nigeria’s U-17 team got off to a flying start on Saturday at the WAFU B U-17 Championship as they hammered hosts Ghana 4-2 in their opening game of the regional tournament
First half goals from Emmanuel Micheal who scored with a well-taken free-kick and Precious Williams saw the Eaglets race into a two-goal lead by half time.
Coach Nduka Ugbade’s boys continued from where they stopped in the second half with Jubril Azeez and Light Eke adding two more goals.
Though Abdul Razak Salifu scored a goal for Ghana just before the hour-mark and they also added another goal late in the half, it wasn’t enough to deny the Eaglets a deserved victory.
Two teams will qualify for the semi-finals from Group A that houses just three teams, hence the victory over Ghana by Nigeria puts Golden Eaglets in good stead.
Before Saturday’s opening game, the Nigeria U-17 coach, Nduka Ugbade, had expressed confidence his carefully assembled team can triumph from Group A and seal their qualification to the Africa tournament proper
“Our primary objective is to earn a ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations, and then we go full throttle for the trophy.
“Nigeria has a pedigree in U-17 football and we cannot afford to disappoint.”
Indeed Nigeria has a pedigree and are the world’s most successful team at this level with five world titles to their name.
Cote d’Ivoire will play in Group B alongside Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger with two sides from each group progressing to the semi-finals.
The two finalists from the competition will feature at the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Algeria early next year.
All four semi-finalists in that continental tournament to be played in Algeria will qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup finals later in the year in Peru.
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