WAFU B: Flying Eagles brace for tough Elephants final test

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles are gearing up for a fierce showdown against rampant Ivory Coast as both sides square off in the final of the WAFU B U20 Boys Cup today (Wednesday) at the Centre of Excellence in Prampram, Ghana.

With the Ivorians enjoying a perfect run to the final, winning all four of their previous matches, the task before coach Aliyu Zubair’s men is clear; stop the Young Elephants or risk falling at the last hurdle.

Ivory Coast opened their campaign with a 2–1 victory over Burkina Faso, before seeing off Niger Republic and Togo with narrow wins of 1–0 and 2–0 respectively.

In Sunday’s semi-final, they showed grit to come from behind and knock out host nation Ghana 2–1.

For the Flying Eagles, the road to the final has not been without its own drama.

Mohammed Abdullahi rescued a point late on in their opener against Ghana, scoring in the 84th minute to force a 1–1 draw. Nigeria then stormed back from a goal down to dispatch Benin Republic 4–1, finishing top of their three-team Group A.

Their semi-final clash against Niger Republic ended goalless after 90 minutes, but Zubair’s boys held their nerve in a tense shootout, edging it 4–3 to book a place in Wednesday’s title decider.

The final will see WAFU B President, Ibrahim Gusau, in attendance alongside other dignitaries, as the region crowns its new youth champions.

For Zubair, it’s another opportunity to enhance his growing reputation.

The former Gombe United manager guided Nigeria to WAFU B glory in Togo last year, and followed up with qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup from the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

While Nigeria will look to the attacking duo of Mohammed Abdullahi and Ezekiel Kpangu for inspiration, the Ivorians boast firepower of their own in Abdoul Bamba and Ali Kone, both instrumental in their unbeaten run.