Nigeria’s U20 boys national team, the Flying Eagles, are bracing for their toughest test yet as they prepare to face the rampaging Young Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire in the final of the WAFU B U20 Boys Tournament on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana.

The Ivorians have taken no prisoners at this tournament, winning all four of their previous matches. They edged Burkina Faso 2-1 in their first match, and went on to conquer Niger Republic and Togo with 1-0 and 2-0 scorelines in their other two matches in the group phase.
In Sunday’s semi-finals, they came from behind to defeat the host nation, Ghana, 2-1, underscoring their strength, resilience, and ability to overcome adversity.

Forward Mohammed Abdullahi earned Nigeria a point with an 84th-minute equaliser against the Black Satellites of Ghana in the competition’s opening match, and the Flying Eagles then came from behind to rout Benin Republic’s U20 boys 4-1 in the three-team group A.

In their semi-final, two-time FIFA U20 World Cup runners-up Nigeria edged the U20 boys of the Niger Republic 4-3 after a penalty shootout, following 0-0 in regulation time.

There will be plenty of fireworks at Ghana’s Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Wednesday, with the Nigerian President of WAFU B, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau (MON), seated alongside other top officials of WAFU at the grand finale.

Wednesday’s encounter is an opportunity for Head Coach Aliyu Zubair to put some polish on his rising reputation as a winner, having led the Flying Eagles to win the WAFU B U20 Championship in Togo last year and coming away with a FIFA World Cup ticket from the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt a couple of months ago.

Mohammed Abdullahi and Ezekiel Kpangu are the players to watch out for in the Nigerian side, while Abdoul Bamba and Ali Kone constitute potent threats at the fore of the Ivorians.