The West African Football Union (WAFU) B
U-17 third-place final between Nigeria's Golden Eaglets and Ghana will take
place on Tuesday evening at the University Stadium. This highly anticipated
match follows both teams' semi-final defeats over the weekend.
Nigeria lost 1-0 to Côte d’Ivoire, while
Ghana was defeated 2-1 by Burkina Faso. These losses pushed both teams into the
bronze medal match and dashed their hopes of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World
Cup scheduled for 2025.
With pride and regional dominance at stake,
Nigeria and Ghana aim to finish the WAFU U-17 Zone B tournament on a high note.
The match is expected to showcase young talents and resilience from both sides,
especially after missing out on the World Cup tickets. Only Côte d’Ivoire and
Burkina Faso secured spots for the U-17 World Cup by reaching the final of the
WAFU U-17 Zone B tournament.
The kick-off for the third-place final is
set for 3 pm. Speaking to DAILY POST, former TTC Football Academy coach
Emmanuel Brown shared his thoughts on the upcoming match. Brown expressed
disappointment in both teams for failing to reach the final and secure a World
Cup ticket.
"I was a bit disappointed that
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets did not make it to the final, considering they are the
defending champions," Brown told DAILY POST. He attributed their
performance to inadequate preparation and issues like the Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) test problems in camp. "The coach and his players did not
have enough and good preparation for the tournament, which showed during the
competition. They missed several chances in their last group game against Togo
and did not perform well against Côte d’Ivoire in the semi-final."
Brown also expected Ghana to reach the
final but noted that they did not capitalize on their advantage as the host
nation. Their coach, Laryea Kingston, even retired after the semi-final defeat
to Burkina Faso.
Regarding the third-place final between
Nigeria and Ghana, Brown expects a close and thrilling encounter, filled with
passion and determination from both teams. "The match will be more than
just a consolation game. It will be an opportunity to salvage pride and end the
tournament on a positive note despite missing out on next year’s World Cup
tickets. It will be an open game with a 50-50 chance. Any team that takes its
chances in front of goal will emerge the winner," he concluded.
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