WAFU U17
WAFU B U17 Girls’ Cup: Ghana’s Black Maidens shoot down Flamingos in penalty shootout
Hosts Ghana lifted the inaugural WAFU B U17 Girls’ Cup on Sunday, but only after a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat of resilient Nigeria at the Ghanaian Centre of Excellence in Prampram, outside Accra.
Minutes after both countries’s senior home-based professionals could not find the net in an African Nations Championship qualifier scores of kilometres away at the Accra Sports Stadium, the girls were buoyant in a four-goal thriller that led to a penalty shootout, which the Maidens won after scoring all five of their spot kicks while Nigeria fluffed one of their own.
Getrude Amoafo put the hosts in front in the 14th minute, and then the irrepressible Priscilla Mensah doubled the advantage five minutes later. It appeared the Maidens would coast to an easy victory, but the Nigerian girls had other ideas.
Precious Oscar halved the deficit in the 34th minute, with a powerful volley right inside the Ghanaian vital area, and Harmony Chidi restored parity in the 78th minute with a long-range strike that flew above goalkeeper Aishatu Fatai.
Defender Taiwo Adegoke handed the advantage to the hosts in the shootout, when she struck the woodwork from six yards, but the Flamingos certainly gave a good account of themselves in a tournament in which they scored 16 goals in four matches, conceding only four.
Benin Republic took the bronze medals with another penalty shootout defeat of Cote d’Ivoire in the third-place match played earlier in the day.
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Five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, will renew their long-standing rivalry with Ghana’s Black Starlets when both sides clash in the second semi-final of the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship at the Stade Charles Konan Banny on Tuesday, with kick-off set for 8:00 p.m. Nigeria time.
The Golden Eaglets have impressed so far in the competition, topping Group B with four points, having scored four goals and conceded just one. Their solid form has made them one of the tournament’s favourites as they chase a place in the final and a ticket to the 2026 Africa U17 Cup of Nations.
In contrast, the Black Starlets had a difficult path to the last four. They began their campaign with a 1–1 draw against Togo, suffered a 3–0 defeat to hosts Côte d’Ivoire, and looked headed for elimination before two late goals secured a crucial win over Niger Republic, ensuring their progression from Group A.
Tuesday’s encounter is expected to be a thrilling battle between two of West Africa’s most successful football nations. History, however, favours Nigeria. The Golden Eaglets defeated Ghana 4–2 in the opening match of the 2022 edition hosted in Cape Coast, and followed it up with another 3–2 victory in the bronze medal match of the last edition held in Accra.
A win for Nigeria on Tuesday will not only continue their dominance over Ghana at this level but also guarantee qualification for next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations, bringing them a step closer to reclaiming continental glory.
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Less than 24 hours to the clash between Golden Eaglets of Nigeria and Baby Stallions of Burkina Faso at the on- going WAFU B U17 Championship in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’ Ivoire, Head Coach Manu Garba says he is optimistic that the five- time world champions will post another favourable outing.
The Garba-tutored Eaglets were in terrific form in scoring four goals within 35 minutes into the game to rout the Baby Cheetahs of Benin Republic 4-1 on Wednesday, and the highly experienced gaffter has said that his team, just like every other team in the tournament, wants to win every match.
“Every team wants to win every match in a competitive tournament, and so does Nigeria. We want to try as much as possible to win every match in this competition and by winning every match, we will be champions of the WAFU-B again because that is where my team belongs,” Garba said during Friday’s press conference, ahead of the game on Saturday.
“We are here to play every match according to the laws of the game, but most importantly, we want to try as much as possible to win the match against Burkina Faso,” he added.
He praised the efforts of his young players against Benin Republic, noting that none of the players was in the last edition of the tournament in Ghana. “My boys did very well against the Benin Republic. I did say that, that was their first international game. Most of these boys have never entered an airplane before coming to Ghana here. This is a new team. None of these boys featured the last time we played in the WAFU B U17 Championship in Ghana.
“As the tournament progresses, they will get better. In our last game, against the Beninoise, my captain was elbowed in the chest, so I had to bring him out. He has fully recovered now. I’m very optimistic that this team will get better,” he concluded.
The game is slated for 4pm Nigeria time at the Stade Lycee Scientifique in Yamoussoukro.
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Five-time world champions, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, will launch their campaign for another continental crown when they square up against Benin Republic on Wednesday at the Stade du Lycee Scientifique in Yamoussoukro.
The encounter marks Nigeria’s opening game in the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship, which serves as the qualifying tournament for next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations. That continental showpiece will in turn determine Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.
The tournament kicked off at the weekend with Group A fixtures, where hosts Cote d’Ivoire overpowered Niger Republic 2-0, while Togo and Ghana settled for a 1-1 draw.
In Group B action on Sunday, Burkina Faso’s Baby Stallions struggled to a narrow 1-0 win over Benin Republic, who will now look to bounce back against Nigeria.
The Golden Eaglets, with a storied history in youth football, are widely tipped as favourites, but must navigate tricky tests against Benin and Burkina Faso in their three-team group.
Nigeria will hope to draw from their pedigree as the most successful nation in FIFA U17 World Cup history as they begin another journey in Yamoussoukro.
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