Nigeria’s Flying Eagles Drop Points Against Ghana In WAFU-B U-20 Opener

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles kicked off their WAFU-B U-20 Championship title defence with a draw against archrivals Ghana in their Group A opener on Thursday.

The encounter between the Flying Eagles and the Black Satellites at the Prampram Centre in Accra, which was billed as one of the marquee fixtures of the tournament, ended in a 1-1 draw.

Ghana took control early on, enjoying the lion’s share of possession and dictating the pace in the opening half. Their pressure paid off in the 22nd minute when team captain Aziz Misbau broke the deadlock with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box.

Nigeria, seemingly second-best for much of the first half, struggled to find rhythm. But the restart brought a shift in momentum. Head coach Aliyu Zubairu’s side became more purposeful, gradually asserting themselves and pushing forward in numbers.

With ten minutes left on the clock, the Flying Eagles found their breakthrough. A well-delivered corner kick met Abdullahi Muhammad in the box, and the forward made no mistake, rising highest to nod home the equaliser and silence the Ghanaian supporters.

Both sides pressed for a late winner, with end-to-end action marking the closing stages, but neither team could find the cutting edge to tilt the balance. The draw sees both nations start the tournament with a point apiece.

The Flying Eagles will return to action on Sunday, July 13, when they face the Benin Republic in their second group match. A win in that tie would all but guarantee their place in the knockout phase as they seek to retain the title they won in 2023.