Golden Eaglets defeat Burkina Faso to claim bronze at WAFU B U17 Championship

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria ended their campaign at the WAFU B U17 Championship on a positive note, defeating Burkina Faso 2-0 in the third-place playoff to clinch the bronze medal in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

After a goalless and tightly contested first half, the Eaglets found their rhythm after the break.

Ahmed Yusuf broke the deadlock in the 50th minute with a powerful low drive from outside the box, giving Nigeria a deserved lead.

Substitute Famous Umole doubled the advantage in the 77th minute, latching onto a precise through pass from Paul Ugwu to seal victory for the five-time world champions.

Yusuf’s outstanding performance earned him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the match.

Despite the bronze medal finish, the result means Nigeria missed out on qualification for both the 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup, as only the two finalists secured tickets to the continental showpiece.

The team is expected to return to Nigeria on Saturday.

Oluwaseun Oyediji

Oluwaseun Babatunde Oyediji is a multi-media sports journalist with over 10 years experience in Information Communication Technology (ICT), women's football, and beach soccer reportage.The prolific writer is the Media Assistant to Nigeria Beach Soccer League and Africa Beach Soccer Union as well as contributor on Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) website.He has covered multiple national and international football tournaments including Championship of African Nations (CHAN 2020), CAF Women's Champions League (2023), and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2023).Since 2021, Oyediji has covered the NWFL Premiership especially the season ending Super Six Playoffs.A member of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ogun state chapter is also the image maker of the Remo Sports Development Council under the leadership of Chief Falilat Ogunkoya and David Osuolale.

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