WAFU U17 Zone B Tournament: Nigeria Humiliate Hosts Ghana in Opening Game

WAFU U17 Zone B Tournament: Nigeria Humiliate Hosts Ghana in Opening Game

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:04 PM
  • Nigeria's Golden Eaglets defeated neighbours Ghana's Black Starlets 4-2 in the opening fixture of the WAFU U17 Zone B tournament
  • The Golden Eaglets would hope to go a step further after finishing as runners-up to Cote d'Ivoire in the last edition
  • The WAFU U-17 Zone B tournament, which kicked off on Saturday, June 11, will serve as qualifiers for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be staged in Algeria later this year

Ghana's Black Starlets kicked off the WAFU U-17 Zone B tournament on the worst possible note as the 'Twinkling stars' suffered a humbling 4-2 defeat to neighbours Nigeria in the opening game of the tournament at the Cape Coast Stadium.

The West African neighbours renewed their age-long rivalry in the tournament's opening encounter which saw the Golden Eaglets triumphing over their hosts.

Goals from Emmanuel Michael, Precious Williams, Jubril Azeez and Light Ike handed Ghana a tough reality check in their own backyard.

WAFU, U17, Zone B, Tournament, Nigeria, Humiliate, Hosts, Ghana, Opening Game
Nigeria handed neighbours Ghana a heavy defeat in the opening game of the WAFU U17 Zone B tournament. Photo credit: @ghanafaofficial
Source: Twitter

How did the Golden Eaglets soar above the Black Starlets?

After a frantic start by the hosts, coach Nduka Ugbade's charges weathered the storm with their own attacks, forcing the opposition to mistakes.

The incessant attacks from the Golden Eaglets yielded a freekick from the edge of the box which was expertly dispatched by Emmanuel Michael in the 12th minute.

Despite creating some decent opportunities Ghana struggled to level the score and were made to pay for their profligacy when Precious Williams pounced on a rebound to make it 2-0 after 43 minutes.

Jubril Azeez made matters worse for Ghana when he scored Nigeria's third of the game eight minutes into the second half.

Substitute Abdul Razak Salifu reduced the deficit through a well-taken goal after beating two Nigerian defenders to rifle a shot past the goalkeeper.

With momentum on the side of Ghana and probing to reduce their deficits, Light Ike dealt the hosts a knockout blow in the 78th minute with Nigeria's fourth.

Despite Collins Agyemang's late strike, it proved to be a case of much ado about nothing as Nigeria held on to inflict a humiliating loss on their hosts.

Nigeria edge defending champions Ghana in the WAFU U-20 tournament

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that defending champions, Ghana’s Black Satellites, got off to a horrible start in the WAFU U-20 Zone B tournament with a defeat to Nigeria on Sunday afternoon.

The U20 Championship started in Niger on Saturday with two matches already played in Group A.

And in the opening Group B encounter, Ghana crossed swords with rivals Nigeria in a highly-anticipated contest staged at the Stade de General-Seyni-Kountche in Niger.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
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GhanaGhana Football Association (GFA)NigeriaNigeria Football Federation (NFF)