Nigeria 0-1 Burkina Faso: Flying Eagles falter to Stallions in U20 WAFU-B opener

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria U-20 men national team kicked off their campaign at the 2024 West Africa Zone B (WAFU-B) U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers with a 1-0 loss to Burkina Faso at the Stade Municipal, Lome, Togo on Friday.

A second-half goal from Dramane Habib Coulibaly separated both sides in a game in which Flying Eagles possession and team play couldn’t prevent their first defeat of the tournament.

The Nigerian side had the best chance of the first half but the Stallions goalie saved the attempt in the 34th minute.

The Burkinababe also had their chance to go ahead in the first half but it was to no avail.

In the second half, Burkina Faso took the bull by its head by going ahead from a set piece.

Nigeria’s defense line could not clear the free kick giving Coulibaly the chance to fire home the winning goal.

All efforts by the holders to salvage a draw proved abortive, as they will have to secure a win in their last Group B match against Cote D’Ivoire on Thursday, October 24, to stand any chance of progressing to the semi-final.

Burkina Faso will meet Cote D’Ivoire ahead of that game on Monday, October 21 knowing that a draw is enough to seal a place in the last four.