Golden Eaglets Beat Ghana’s Black Starlets 3-2 to Secure Bronze at WAFU U-17 Tournament
The Nigerian Golden Eaglets clinched the bronze medal at the WAFU U-17 tournament with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Ghana’s Black Starlets on Tuesday at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium.
In a nail-biting finish, Abdul Adeleke emerged as the hero for Nigeria, scoring a brace in stoppage time. His first goal came at the 92nd minute when his initial shot hit the horizontal bar. A poor clearance by the Ghanaian defense allowed the ball to return to Adeleke, who skillfully placed it in the left corner of the net to secure the win for Nigeria.
Adeleke’s late heroics followed a tense match where Ghana initially took the lead. Immurana Muhammed opened the scoring for Nigeria, but Ghana quickly equalized and then went ahead, putting the defending champions in a tight spot. Adeleke equalized for Nigeria in the 40th minute, setting the stage for his match-winning goal in the dying moments.
The Golden Eaglets displayed relentless determination in the second half, creating numerous scoring opportunities. Despite their poor marksmanship, evidenced by over 20 missed chances, their perseverance paid off in the end.
Nigeria’s journey to the bronze medal match came after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in the first semifinal, while Ghana lost 2-1 to Burkina Faso.
The loss was particularly painful for Ghana, as they had also finished with the bronze medal in the previous year’s tournament. The Black Starlets were visibly distraught, having hoped to improve their standing.
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets continue to uphold their status as one of Africa’s premier youth teams. They have an illustrious history, having won the U-17 World Cup five times (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, and 2015) and the AFCON U-17 trophy thrice. Their record includes 12 appearances in the World Cup finals, the most by any African team in this age category.
There are positive indications from FIFA that Africa will receive more slots in the next World Cup finals, potentially giving Nigeria a chance for a 13th appearance.
As the bronze medal match concluded, the final between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast was underway at the same venue.
