Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been eliminated from the WAFU B U-17 Championship after playing out a 1-1 draw with Côte d’Ivoire in their final Group B fixture.
The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of progressing in the tournament, with the five-time world champions finishing bottom of the group with one point from two matches.
Côte d’Ivoire finished second with two points, while Niger topped Group B with four points.
The Golden Eaglets produced an improved performance after their opening 2-1 defeat to Niger but were unable to secure the victory they needed to keep their campaign alive.
Defensive confusion proved costly as Nigeria conceded midway through the first half, leaving the team with a difficult task after the break.
The young Nigerians returned with greater urgency and pushed forward in search of an equaliser, creating several promising opportunities as they attempted to rescue their campaign.
Their persistence paid off five minutes from time when substitute John Abiodun levelled the score following an impressive solo run by Colombus Igboenyobe.
Abiodun came close to completing a dramatic turnaround in the 89th minute after breaking through on goal, but he sent his effort over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Nigeria threatened again a minute later, only for the Ivorian goalkeeper to produce an excellent save and turn a goal-bound effort behind for a corner.
Despite their late pressure, the Golden Eaglets could not find a winner, bringing their Group B campaign to an end.
The elimination will be a disappointment for Nigeria, whose youth side has a proud history in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The result also underlines the importance of converting chances and maintaining defensive discipline in decisive tournament fixtures.
