The U17 Boys National Team, Golden Eaglets, will on Wednesday depart the country for the city of Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire where they will participate in this year’s WAFU-B U17 Boys Tournament.

In their final friendly game before the tournament, the Eaglets drew 0-0 with Mop Stars FC on Monday. The team played a total of 13 friendly matches while in camp, winning 10, drawing two and losing only one. They scored 25 goals and conceded five.

The five-time world champions will begin their campaign in the tournament against Baby Cheetahs of Benin Republic on Wednesday, 24^th September, before taking on Burkina Faso in Group B. Group A has hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Ghana and Togo.

Matches will be played at the Stade du Lycée Scientifique in Yamoussoukro, which has a natural turf and was constructed for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

GOLDEN EAGLES FOR WAFU-B U17 BOYS TOURNAMENT

Goalkeepers: Aquila Ahur (Mailantarki FC); Great Edafe (Beyond Limits); Paul Awelewa (Morak FC)

Defenders: Abdullateef Lasisi (La Planet); Mubarak Rasheed (RFO FC); Sadiq Salihu (Niger Tornadoes); Godwin Menyaga (Adoration FC); Abdulsamad Salisu (Central FC); Emmanuel Asika (Mailantarki FC)

Midfielders: Paul Ugwu (RBM FC); Famous Umole (Derby FC); David Edeh (Adoration FC); Umar Yahaya (Footwork FC); Ahmed Yusuf (One-Touch FC)

Forwards: Wisdom Innocent (Wonderland FC); George Agha (Unique & Fine FC); Boluwatife Thompson (Breeders FC); Emeka Nnalue (Collins FC); Salim Umar (Dante FC); Auwal Muhammad (36 Lions)

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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 14^th 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 34^th minute, with a powerful volley right inside the Ghanaian vital area, and Harmony Chidi restored parity in the 78^th 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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Scoring sensation Harmony Chidi notched a hat-trick as Nigeria edged Cote d’Ivoire 3-2 in their second match of the WAFU B U17 Girls’ Cup in Accra on Monday.

Chidi, who netted 13 of the 25 goals as the Flamingos crushed everything on their path in Africa to the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals in the Dominican Republic this year, took matters into her own hands to ensure Nigeria finished top of group B of the inaugural competition.

Following their 9-0 whiplash of Niger Republic on Thursday, the Flamingos finished the group campaign with the six maximum points, and with 12 goals for and only two against, while Cote d’Ivoire, 5-0 winners over the Nigeriens, came second with three points and seven goals for, three against. The Nigeriens finished without a point, and with no goal, 14 against.

The young Ivorian girls will go up against hosts, Black Maidens of Ghana in the first semi-final of the competition on Thursday, before the second semi-final that will see FIFA World Cup quarter-finalists Nigeria tackle neighbours Benin Republic at the Ghana Centre of Excellence in Prampram.

Esther Kwame, who scored the Ivorians’ first goal against Nigeria with a far-distance shot in the 56^th minute, and Guasam, who scored from the penalty spot to reduce the tally five minutes later after a foul by Rokibat Azeez, could prove a handful for the Black Maidens on Thursday.