Slippery forward Kparobo Arierhi netted a brace as champions Nigeria successfully defended their WAFU U20 title on Wednesday night after a 2-1 defeat of regional rivals Ghana in this year’s final in Lome.

 The Flying Eagles dominated large swatches of the encounter, but it turned out a game of two halves Nigeria were imperious in the first half and Ghana turned on the heat in the second.

 Harcourt came up with a clever palm-down when the Ghanaians broke through from the left with a cross and a header in the 14^th minute, and then punched the ball away after a point-blank shot as the Satellites waltzed their way into the box from the right in added time.

 In-between, Kparobo Arierhi had concluded the damage. First, in the 34^th minute, he received a pass on the edge of the box as the Flying Eagles broke forward on the right, and scored with the trusted poacher’s calm, left-footed finish into the bottom corner, with the goalkeeper clutching grass.

The second was more spectacular. Nigerian manfully snatched the ball half-way into the Satellites’ area, and a couple of passes left Kparobo, who plays his club football for Beyond Limits FC, and had scored Nigeria’s winner in the 2-1 win over Cote d’Ivoire in the group phase, face to face with the goalkeeper. Without any attempt at showboating, he unleashed a right-footed rocket right into the roof of the net.

On the hour, Nigeria had to spiritedly clear their lines as the Black Satellites, in a rare onslaught, picked the pockets of several defenders and got the ball past goalkeeper Harcourt.

Five minutes later, Nigeria again escaped through stout defending as a flurry of shots from inside and outside the box simply failed to get the ball beyond Harcourt.  

The pressure finally paid off for the Ghanaians in the 74^th minute, as they reduced the tally following a goalmouth melee.

However, the Flying Eagles held on to retain their trophy won two years ago in Niger Republic, and with Kparobo Arierhi collecting the Man-of-the-Match award.

Nigeria and Ghana will represent WAFU B at next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations, to be hosted by South Africa.

Nigeria and Ghana clinched their places in the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following impressive semi-final victories in the WAFU B qualifying championship on Sunday. 

Ghana edged Cote d’Ivoire with a resilient 2-1 comeback, while Nigeria overpowered Niger Republic 3-1 to set up a highly anticipated final between the two West African rivals.

Ghana’s Black Satellites faced early challenges against the Baby Elephants, conceding in the 18th minute when Loukou Jaures took advantage of a defensive lapse to put the Ivorians ahead.

  Struggling to regain control, Ghana entered halftime trailing but returned with renewed vigour.

In the 47th minute, relentless pressure from Ghana forced an own goal from the Ivorian defence, levelling the score at 1-1.

With momentum shifting in their favour, Ghana pressed for a winner. Their persistence paid off in the 75th minute as forward Jerry Afriyie won a penalty after a decisive run into the box.

Calmly stepping up, Afriyie converted, giving Ghana a 2-1 lead and ultimately securing their U-20 AFCON spot.

Afriyie’s match-winning goal earned him Man of the Match, marking a pivotal moment in Ghana’s qualification journey.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles battled through a spirited performance from Niger.

Although Niger took an early lead in the 10th minute, Nigeria responded strongly.

A 35th-minute equalizer revived the Flying Eagles, and they continued to press, breaking through Niger’s defence in the second half to go up 2-1.

Niger’s attempts to counter left gaps at the back, which Nigeria exploited to extend their lead to 3-1, ensuring their spot in both the WAFU-B final and the U-20 AFCON.

As the final whistle sounded, Nigeria celebrated a hard-earned victory, joining Ghana in the tournament final set for October 30, 2024, in a clash between two of West Africa’s football powerhouses.

Cup holders Nigeria reached the final of the 2024 WAFU B U20 Championship in style on Sunday, after a come-from-behind 3-1 thumping of Niger Republic’s Junior Mena in Lome, in the process earning a ticket to next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations.

The neighbours to the north went in front after only nine minutes of the second semi-final at the Stade Kegue, but just as they did against Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday, the seven-time African champions were unruffled. Instead, they found a better shape and dominated afterwards, scoring three marvelous goals that took them to the Final, where they clash with West African arch rivals Ghana, who had earlier seen off Cote d’Ivoire 2-1.

Against the run of play, the Junior Mena came close to doubling their advantage in the 33^rd minute, but Nigeria survived and shortly after, found the equalizer that their endeavour merited.

Clinton Jephta finished with aplomb from outside the box to put Flying Eagles on level terms in the 35^th minute, after an eye-catching interchange of passes among Kparobo Arierhi, Abba Maigari and Nasiru Salihu.

Jephta was on song again 13 minutes after the restart, putting Nigeria ahead for the first time in the match, and goalkeeper Ifeanyi Harcourt deserves praise for his excellent saves that maintained Nigeria’s advantage.

The Flying Eagles netted the third in added time, through Olalekan Alonge.

President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, said: “I commend the fighting spirit of the Flying Eagles in reaching the final of the WAFU B U20 Championship and in the process, winning a slot at the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations. I watched their first match against Burkina Faso (which they lost 0-1) but the team has continued to improve with every match since then.

“The NFF is delighted with their performance. We believe they have what it takes to go all the way and successfully defend their title against the Ghanaians in Wednesday’s Final.”