The under 20 Football national team of Nigeria, the Flying Eagles, beat their Ghanaian counterparts by 2-0 during the opening match of Group B of the WAFU B U20 Championship held in Niamey on Sunday, 8 May.
This win has helped them scoop all the three points and gave the team a step forward in the competition’s semi-finals from where the zone’s flag-bearers to next year’s Africa Under 20 Cup of Nations will arise.
Ibrahim Muhammad put the Nigerians’ noses in the forefront after just six minutes, and the seven-time African champions exhibited composure, calmness and confidence as they quickly defeated the Black Satellites.
Adams Olubi could have made it to 2-0 for Nigeria till the end of the first half but messed up his lines after a good team move had carved open the Ghanaian reargued and left him with just the goalkeeper to defeat.
Eventually, the Flying eagles made sure of the three points during the second half at the Stade General Seyni Kountché when alternate Ahmed Abdullahi slotted in the net in the 78th minute of the game after a series of attacks left the Ghanaians in confusion.
Those three points put Nigeria in a position to win from a group that has just three teams. The Flying Eagles will be playing their last match of the group on Wednesday, 11 May, against Burkina Faso.
The result will decide the future of Cup holders and reigning African champions Ghana, as they would be criticised to beat the Burkinabes when both the teams will clash at the same venue on Sunday, 15 May.
Ibrahim Muhammad was selected as the man of the match as he scored the first goal of the game.
The U-20 match was a thrilling game that thousands of individuals came to watch despite the scorching heat.
