Nigeria’s Flying Eagles lost 2-0 to Burkina Faso on Sunday. Despite this loss, they still moved on to the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship as the second-place team in Group B.
Abdu Maikaba’s team started the tournament strong. They beat Ghana 4-2 in their first match and followed it up with a 3-0 win against Togo. This put them in a good spot for qualification.
But in this match, they were outplayed by Burkina Faso. The Young Stallions topped the group with seven points from three games.
Nigeria finished second with six points. Ghana came in third with two points after drawing 0-0 with Togo. Togo ended the tournament last with just one point.
Burkina Faso scored first in the 23rd minute. Alassana Bagayogo headed the ball in from a corner.
They increased their lead 13 minutes later. Mohamed Zongo took a beautiful free-kick from about 30 yards out. The ball went over the Nigerian goalkeeper and into the net.
After halftime, the Flying Eagles did better but could not create good chances. Burkina Faso held strong at the back to keep their two-goal lead.
This result means Burkina Faso will face Niger in one semi-final. Nigeria will play against hosts Côte d’Ivoire in the other semi-final.
The winners of both semi-finals will advance to the final. They will also secure spots at the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, which will take place in Ghana.
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