Slippery forward Kparobo Arierhi netted a brace as champions Nigeria successfully defended their WAFU U20 title on Wednesday night after a 2-1 defeat of regional rivals Ghana in this year’s final in Lome.

 The Flying Eagles dominated large swatches of the encounter, but it turned out a game of two halves Nigeria were imperious in the first half and Ghana turned on the heat in the second.

 Harcourt came up with a clever palm-down when the Ghanaians broke through from the left with a cross and a header in the 14^th minute, and then punched the ball away after a point-blank shot as the Satellites waltzed their way into the box from the right in added time.

 In-between, Kparobo Arierhi had concluded the damage. First, in the 34^th minute, he received a pass on the edge of the box as the Flying Eagles broke forward on the right, and scored with the trusted poacher’s calm, left-footed finish into the bottom corner, with the goalkeeper clutching grass.

The second was more spectacular. Nigerian manfully snatched the ball half-way into the Satellites’ area, and a couple of passes left Kparobo, who plays his club football for Beyond Limits FC, and had scored Nigeria’s winner in the 2-1 win over Cote d’Ivoire in the group phase, face to face with the goalkeeper. Without any attempt at showboating, he unleashed a right-footed rocket right into the roof of the net.

On the hour, Nigeria had to spiritedly clear their lines as the Black Satellites, in a rare onslaught, picked the pockets of several defenders and got the ball past goalkeeper Harcourt.

Five minutes later, Nigeria again escaped through stout defending as a flurry of shots from inside and outside the box simply failed to get the ball beyond Harcourt.  

The pressure finally paid off for the Ghanaians in the 74^th minute, as they reduced the tally following a goalmouth melee.

However, the Flying Eagles held on to retain their trophy won two years ago in Niger Republic, and with Kparobo Arierhi collecting the Man-of-the-Match award.

Nigeria and Ghana will represent WAFU B at next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations, to be hosted by South Africa.

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria have beaten Ghana 2-1 to win the Under -20 WAFU Zone B  Cup. They therefore go to the Under -20 Africa Cup of Nations as champions. Ghana as runners-up also qualified.

Nigeria’s two goals came in the opening 15 minutes of the match while Ghana reduced the tally with less than 15 minutes to regulation time.

Nigeria and Ghana clinched their places in the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following impressive semi-final victories in the WAFU B qualifying championship on Sunday. 

Ghana edged Cote d’Ivoire with a resilient 2-1 comeback, while Nigeria overpowered Niger Republic 3-1 to set up a highly anticipated final between the two West African rivals.

Ghana’s Black Satellites faced early challenges against the Baby Elephants, conceding in the 18th minute when Loukou Jaures took advantage of a defensive lapse to put the Ivorians ahead.

  Struggling to regain control, Ghana entered halftime trailing but returned with renewed vigour.

In the 47th minute, relentless pressure from Ghana forced an own goal from the Ivorian defence, levelling the score at 1-1.

With momentum shifting in their favour, Ghana pressed for a winner. Their persistence paid off in the 75th minute as forward Jerry Afriyie won a penalty after a decisive run into the box.

Calmly stepping up, Afriyie converted, giving Ghana a 2-1 lead and ultimately securing their U-20 AFCON spot.

Afriyie’s match-winning goal earned him Man of the Match, marking a pivotal moment in Ghana’s qualification journey.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles battled through a spirited performance from Niger.

Although Niger took an early lead in the 10th minute, Nigeria responded strongly.

A 35th-minute equalizer revived the Flying Eagles, and they continued to press, breaking through Niger’s defence in the second half to go up 2-1.

Niger’s attempts to counter left gaps at the back, which Nigeria exploited to extend their lead to 3-1, ensuring their spot in both the WAFU-B final and the U-20 AFCON.

As the final whistle sounded, Nigeria celebrated a hard-earned victory, joining Ghana in the tournament final set for October 30, 2024, in a clash between two of West Africa’s football powerhouses.