Sola
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets advanced to the semi-finals of the ongoing WAFU B U17 Championship in Ghana with a 3-0 victory over Togo’s Baby Sparrow Hawks.
The win moved them to the top of Group B and set up a last-four confrontation with the Baby Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.
The match, initially scheduled for Wednesday evening, was postponed to Thursday morning due to a waterlogged pitch after heavy rain.
Forward Abdulmuiz Adeleke scored twice in the morning encounter, while Rapha Adams netted his second goal of the tournament.
Adeleke missed an early chance to put Nigeria ahead in the 6th minute but scored five minutes later with an assist from Abdulmuiz Oladimeji, easing the pressure on a Togolese side that had lost its previous two games.
Adams, who scored the lone goal in Nigeria’s win against Niger Republic on Sunday, came close in the 20th minute from another Oladimeji pass but missed the target. He scored 15 minutes later, heading in a cross from captain Simon Cletus.
Adeleke secured his brace and Nigeria’s third goal in the 57th minute, again assisted by Cletus. He missed a chance for a hat-trick, failing to convert a penalty in the 68th minute.
Nigeria’s Edward Ochigbo was named Player of the Match.
With this victory, the Golden Eaglets finished as Group B winners, following Burkina Faso’s 1-0 win over Niger Republic in the other group match.
Nigeria will now face Cote d’Ivoire in the second semi-final on Saturday evening at 7pm Nigeria time, after the first semi-final between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
