AFCON 2025
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles came up short in their quest to reclaim the WAFU-B U20 Boys’ Cup title, falling 1–0 to Côte d’Ivoire in a tightly contested final played on Wednesday, July 23, at the Cape Coast Stadium in Accra.
The match remained goalless at halftime, with both sides creating chances but failing to convert. The deadlock was finally broken in the second half when a dangerous free-kick delivery into the Nigerian box was mishandled by the goalkeeper. Zakaria Tindano capitalized on the loose ball, firing home what would ultimately be the winning goal.
Nigeria, coached by Aliyu Zubairu, had gone into the final confident after an unbeaten run in the group stage and a tense penalty shootout victory over Niger Republic in the semi-final.
The defeat marks a disappointing end for a Flying Eagles side that had shown promise throughout the competition. However, both Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire had already secured qualification for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, meaning the Flying Eagles will have another opportunity to prove themselves on the continental stage next year.
