The Golden Eaglets played to a goalless draw against Burkina Faso 17 in their first match of the WAFU Zone B U17 Championship at the University of Ghana Stadium on Thursday evening.
Coach Manu Garba chose to go with a 4-3-3 formation, starting Dominic Chinedu in goal, and fielding Sylvester Chika, Daniel Mende Waris Yunus, and Boluwatife Ekishola in the defense.
The team’s skipper, Simon Cletus, was accompanied by Destiny Samuel and Abdulmuiz Oladimeji in the midfield.
Rapha Adam spearheaded the attack and was supported by Imrana Muhammad and Ibrahim Abdulganiyu on the flanks.
The first half was a tense affair as both the Eaglets and their young Stallions counterparts struggled to create clear scoring opportunities.
In the 24th minute, the Golden Eaglets missed a clear opportunity when Oladimeji failed to convert a defense-splitting pass from Cletus.
Shortly after the second half began, the defending champions gave away a free kick at the edge of the penalty area. However, Burkina Faso could not capitalize on the chance.
In the 58th minute, Nigeria made a threatening move into the dangerous area, but Muhammad was unable to find the target with his shot.
In the 65th minute, Cletus had a fantastic opportunity one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but unfortunately, he missed the shot.
Then, in the 71st minute, there was a tense moment when a Burkina Faso player had a good chance to score, but Ekisola bravely blocked the shot, preventing a potential goal.
Just before the end of the game, Manu Garba’s team almost scored but was unlucky as the ball hit the woodwork.
Nigeria’s next match will be against Niger on Sunday, marking their second game in the competition.
