Cote d’Ivoire defeat Nigeria to win WAFU U20 tournament

Cote d’Ivoire Defeat Nigeria To Win WAFU U20 Tournament

Nigeria suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the 2025 WAFU B U20 Boys Tournament in Accra, Ghana.

In their semi-final, two-time FIFA U20 World Cup runners-up Nigeria edged the U20 boys of Niger Republic 4-3 after a penalty shootout, following 0-0 in regulation time.

The Ivorian boys had an unblemished tournament, winning all their five matches and stamping their authority on each, with a disciplined and dedicated squad that rose to the occasion each time to decimate their opponents.

READ ALSO:

• Retired aviation workers set to get pensions after 22 years
• Fire guts TASUED students’ apartment in Ijebu-Ode
• FG tells diplomats to counter misconceptions with truth

Their superiority was not in question as they edged Burkina Faso 2-1 in their first match, conquered Niger Republic and Togo with 1-0 and 2-0 scorelines in their other two matches in the group phase, and came from behind to defeat host nation Ghana 2-1 in the semi finals.

Seven-time African champions Nigeria turned out a hard nut to crack for the Ivorians in Wednesday’s final, but they finally found a way through when goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt dropped the ball from a free-kick in added time, allowing an alert Zakaria Tindano to poke into the net for the only goal of the encounter.

Ghana defeated Niger Republic 2-0 to win the Bronze medal.

Cote d’Ivoire defeat Nigeria to win WAFU U20 tournament