Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been knocked out of the WAFU-B Under-17 Championship after a 1-1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire in their second group match.

The Golden Eaglets came into the match condemned to win against the Ivorians after losing to Niger in their opening match on Thursday.

However, the team led by coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere fell short despite a late second-half charge on Saturday evening.

The Golden Eaglets’ Achilles heel was their lack of composure in front of goal, as they missed a couple of chances that could have seen them possibly win the tie.

Nigeria started the match with good pressure but couldn’t convert it into goals, with Godswill Usoro’s effort narrowly going off target in the ninth minute.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Alex Bamba scored the opener in the 17th minute to put the Nigerians under pressure.

Mubarak Fasiu missed a clear chance to restore parity for the Golden Eaglets, but the first half ended in favour of the Ivorians.

The Golden Eaglets’ push for an equaliser and a turnaround came in the final 10 minutes of the match.

Substitute Columbus Igboenyobe scored the equaliser in the 85th minute to ignite a comeback for the Golden Eaglets.

However, John Abiodun, another substitute, missed the chance to seal the winner in the 89th minute as the tie ended 1-1.

Consequently, the result ends the Golden Eaglets’ dream of playing at the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, for which the former serves as a qualifier.

Missing out on the AFCON and World CupWorld Cup tournaments add to the turbulent period the country’s age-grade football is currently undergoing, especially for the men’s team

The Golden Eaglets are five-time World Champions but have not been at the World Cup since 2019.Golden