Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been eliminated from the WAFU B U-17 Boys Cup after playing out a 1-1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire in their latest encounter in the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Nigerian youngsters fought back late in the game to secure a share of the spoils, but the result was not enough to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Côte d’Ivoire took the lead in the 16th minute through Alex Fousseni, who put the Ivorians in front and handed Nigeria an early setback.

The Golden Eaglets struggled to find an equaliser as Côte d’Ivoire maintained their advantage, putting pressure on the Nigerian side to produce a response.

Nigeria continued their search for a breakthrough and eventually found the back of the net in the 84th minute through Abiodun John, who restored parity and gave the Golden Eaglets hope of salvaging the contest.

However, the late equaliser came too late to change Nigeria’s fate in the competition, as the match ended 1-1.

Golden Eaglets Fall Short in WAFU B U-17 Qualifiers

The draw confirmed Nigeria’s elimination from the WAFU B U-17 Boys Cup, dealing a major setback to the Golden Eaglets’ ambitions of qualifying for the next U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Despite showing determination to fight back after conceding in the first half, Nigeria could not secure the victory needed to keep their campaign alive.

For Côte d’Ivoire, the result provided a positive outcome against one of Africa’s traditional youth football powerhouses.

The elimination will raise questions about Nigeria’s performance in the regional qualifying tournament, particularly the team’s inability to turn promising moments into the results required to progress.

The Golden Eaglets, five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions, will now have to reflect on their campaign as attention turns to rebuilding the team and preparing for future youth football competitions.