Izuchukwu Okosi
The Golden Eaglets Friday night defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 to qualify for the 2023 African U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria reports Prime Business Africa.
The Nigerians piled pressure on the Francophone side and it paid off in the 22nd minute when Idris Abdullahi headed in a cross from Emmanuel Michael’s cross.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe Burkinabes restored parity through Ouedraogo four minutes before halftime.
The second period was a slight deviation from the first as both teams gave the game their all and played for pride and power. The Nigerians controlled in key areas of the pitch and defended resolutely for large periods but Burkina Faso pushed better than they did in the first half.
Abdullahi pounced on a loose ball from an inch-perfect Emmanuel Michael cross in the 48th minute to put Nigerians ahead.
The forward however missed a chance to grab his hat-trick nine minutes into the second half as the ball was cleared from danger.
Burkina Faso pushed for an equaliser and proved to be major threats from the wings especially.
Nigeria and Burkina Faso will represent West Africa Zone B at the African U-17 championship in Algeria next year.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
