Udeze stunned as Golden Eaglets suffer Niger Republic defeat

Former Nigeria international Ifeanyi Udeze says he cannot understand how the Golden Eaglets lost 2-1 to Niger Republic in their opening Group B match at the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship.

Niger Republic took control of the game in the 20th minute when Abdoul Razaq Zada opened the scoring. Abdoul Rakilou then doubled their advantage with four minutes of normal time remaining.

The Golden Eaglets reduced the deficit in stoppage time through Mubarak Fasiu, but could not find an equaliser as Niger held on to secure all three points.

The victory sent Niger Republic through to the semi-finals, with four points from their two matches. They began the competition with a 1-1 draw against Cote d’Ivoire.

Udeze said the defeat was difficult to explain given the depth of footballing talent available in Nigeria.

“I still can’t process it, I can’t believe the Golden Eaglets lost to a team like Niger Republic,” Udeze said on BRILA FM.

“We have talents all over the place, if you are talking about talents they are everywhere in the country, so I find it hard to understand that we lost to Niger Republic.”

The Golden Eaglets now face Cote d’Ivoire in their second group match and must win to keep alive their hopes of reaching the last four.