Five-time world champions Nigeria were booted out from the WAFU B U17 Championship at the semi-final stage on Saturday, May 25, 2024, after suffering a 1-0 loss against the Baby Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire at the University Stadium in Ghana.

Cote d’Ivoire found the back of the net through Youbah Coulibaly off a defensive mix-up by Nigeria in the 54th minute and that strike ended up being the decider at the blast of the full-time whistle.

It was a difficult encounter for the Eaglets as the Baby Elephants showed greater poise and appetite for the final ticket, as they kept on putting goalkeeper Dominic Chinedu to work but he came to the Eaglets’ rescue on several occasions and kept the deficit at one.

Host nation Ghana also got eliminated and will not get the chance to vie for the highly coveted u17 AFCON.

Burkina Faso was the first team in the final after a 2-1 defeat of the Black Starlets. In the second semi-final.

The Golden Eaglets will play a third-place game against Ghana.

The result has even bigger implications in the long run as next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations, would serve as a channel for Africa’s flag-bearers at next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals to emerge – a chance that has flown away from the Eaglets.

Although, while unconfirmed, a lifeline might be in the offing for Golden Eaglets as it is probable that three teams will qualify from WAFU Zone B for U17 AFCON.

The Blame Game

While results are gotten on the pitch, preparation before a tournament plays a huge role in the happenings on the pitch.

Coach of the Golden Eaglets, Manu Garba, was appointed about a month to the tournament by the Nigerian Football Federation ( NFF), leaving little or no time to adequately prepare for a competition of such magnitude. The team’s preparations were severely impacted by the MRI Age Test debacle, and the NFF’s tardiness has resulted in a significantly weakened Golden Eaglets squad and their exit.

The Bright Side

Despite the disappointment of failing to qualify for the AFCON and Ultimately missing out on a chance at World Cup Glory, Nigerians can hold on to the fact that new talents emerged from the competition. One of which is the aforementioned goalkeeper, Dominic Chinedu.