Flying Eagles cruise into WAFU B U20 semi‐finals with emphatic win over Togo

Nigeria’s U20 side, the Flying Eagles, powered into the semi-finals of the WAFU B U20 Tournament with a commanding 3-0 victory over Togo’s Sparrow Hawks in Yamoussoukro, confirming their place in the last four with a game to spare.

The win, secured on Thursday in their second Group B fixture, built on Nigeria’s 4-2 triumph over Ghana’s Black Satellites in their opening match and underlined their status as early contenders for the regional title.

Deadlock after competitive first half

Togo started with purpose and made life difficult for the Flying Eagles in a tight first period. Nigeria enjoyed more of the early possession and territory but struggled to carve out clear openings against a disciplined Togolese back line.

The Sparrow Hawks created the best chance of the half in the 38th minute, springing a dangerous attack that should have given them the lead, only for the final effort to be dragged wide with the Nigerian defence exposed.

As half-time approached, the contest opened up, with both teams trading attacks and looking to seize the initiative. Despite the late flurry at both ends, neither side managed to break through and the interval arrived with the score 0-0 and possession effectively shared.

Adeleke strikes twice after the break

Nigeria emerged for the second half with greater intensity and were rewarded almost immediately. Just one minute after the restart, Muiz Adeleke, who had scored twice against the Black Satellites on Monday, struck again to put the Flying Eagles 1-0 up, finishing clinically to tilt the contest in Nigeria’s favour.

Stung by the setback, Togo pressed forward in search of an equaliser, but Nigeria’s defence remained organised and composed, repelling the Sparrow Hawks’ advances while maintaining control of the tempo in midfield.

The Flying Eagles then tightened their grip on the match in the 59th minute. Adeleke, leading a swift counter-attack, accelerated clear of the defence, rounded the Togolese goalkeeper and slotted home to register his second of the game and his fourth of the tournament.

Nigeria almost extended their lead moments later when an error from the Togo goalkeeper presented another chance, but the opportunity went begging as the Togolese defence recovered in time to avert further damage.

Agbejoye comes off bench to seal victory

The result was effectively put beyond doubt five minutes from time. In the 85th minute, substitute Abdoulaye Agbejoye, who had just come on to replace the two-goal Adeleke, immediately made his mark. The forward found space and finished to complete the scoring at 3-0, adding further gloss to an already convincing scoreline.

Nigeria then saw out the remaining minutes with little alarm, comfortably protecting their clean sheet and closing out a second successive group-stage win that guarantees their progression to the semi-finals.

Seven-time African champions Nigeria will round off their Group B campaign on Sunday with a high‐profile meeting against Burkina Faso, a fixture expected to provide a sterner examination as the Flying Eagles fine-tune their preparations for the knockout phase.