Nigeria vs Burkina Faso: Golden Eaglets Held to Stalemate in WAFU Zone B U17 Championship Opener

• The Golden Eaglets team were held to a draw in their WAFU Zone B Championship opener in Ghana
• The Nigerian U-17 were unable to break the Young Stallions of Burkina Faso's defence in the match
• The Manu Garba's led team still have two more group games against Niger Republic and Togo

The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria began their WAFU Zone B U17 Championship with a goalless draw against Burkina Faso at the University of Ghana Stadium on Thursday.

Newly appointed coach Manu Garba was unable to guide his team to a perfect start in the competition as they looked forward to the next game.

The former Nigeria under-20 coach lined up his team in a 4-3-3 formation, with Rapha Adam leading the attack and Imrana Muhammad and Ibrahim Abdulganiyu as the wingers.

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The midfield three comprises Destiny Samuel, Abdulmuiz Oladimeji, and the team captain, Simon Cletus.

The defence was packed with Boluwatife Ekishola, Sylvester Chika, Waris Yunus, and Daniel Mende, as Dominic Chinedu played in goal.

The first half of the game was tactically balanced as both teams failed to create a clear scoring chance, but the second half was better in terms of opportunities for both sides.

The Golden Eaglets were lucky not to concede in the 71st minute, as the Young Stallions had a good chance to win the game. Nigeria was close to winning it at death, but their effort was denied by the woodwork.

Garba will switch focus to Golden Eaglets next match against Niger Republic on Sunday, May 19

Finidi George speaks on row with players

Sports Brief previously reported on claims that some Nigerian players clashed with Finidi George during the March international break, where the Super Eagles recorded one win and one loss against Ghana and Mali, respectively.

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After his confirmation and subsequent unveiling as permanent head coach, Finidi spoke about the alleged row, reiterating the need to improve his relationships with players.

Ademola Lookman and Sadiq Umar reportedly had issues with the interim Nigeria manager at the time, which threatened to derail his quest to become the permanent coach.