Flying Eagles secured a place in the semi-finals of the WAFU B U20 Championship after a commanding 3-0 victory over Togo’s Sparrow Hawks in their second Group B match in Yamoussoukro on Thursday.
The win ensured Nigeria maintained their perfect start to the tournament, having opened their campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over Ghana’s Black Satellites.
Togo proved stubborn opponents in a closely contested first half, frustrating the Flying Eagles despite Nigeria’s early dominance. The Sparrow Hawks came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 38th minute but squandered a gilt-edged opportunity by firing wide.
Both teams continued to create chances before the interval, but neither could find the net as the sides went into break at 0-0.
Nigeria returned for the second half with renewed purpose and wasted little time in taking control of the contest.
Just one minute after the restart, Muiz Adeleke, who scored twice against Ghana in Nigeria’s opening fixture, fired the Flying Eagles into the lead.
The goal lifted Nigeria’s confidence as they tightened their grip on the game, with the defence standing firm against Togo’s attempts to find an equaliser.
Adeleke doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 59th minute, racing onto a swift counter-attack, rounding the Togolese goalkeeper and calmly slotting home for his second goal of the afternoon and fourth of the tournament.
The Flying Eagles continued to press for more goals and were denied a third shortly afterwards after failing to capitalise on a goalkeeping error.
However, the third goal eventually arrived five minutes from time. Substitute Abdoulaye Agbejoye made an instant impact after replacing Adeleke, finding the net in the 85th minute to complete a convincing 3-0 victory.
The result confirmed Nigeria’s place in the last four of the competition and reinforced their status as one of the tournament favourites.
The seven-time African champions will conclude their Group B campaign against Burkina Faso on Sunday, with both sides expected to battle for top spot in what promises to be a thrilling encounter.
