By Olatunbosun Obafemi
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in the final of the WAFU B U20 Boys Cup on Wednesday night, as a late goal from Zakaria Tindano secured the title for the Ivorians.
In a tense and evenly contested encounter, both teams struggled to find rhythm early on. Nigeria created the better chances in the first half, with Muhammed Muhammed and Muhammed Abdullahi going close—Abdullahi’s strike notably rattling the crossbar.
As the match progressed, Ivory Coast grew in confidence, nearly scoring from a powerful long-range effort just before the break. In the second half, Nigeria continued to push forward, with Oliseh and Bameyi coming close, while goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt produced several key saves to keep the score level.
However, disaster struck in stoppage time when Harcourt’s mistake gifted the ball to Tindano, who capitalized to score the decisive goal, clinching victory for Ivory Coast and leaving Nigeria heartbroken.
