Golden Eaglets Beat Burkina Faso to Claim Bronze at WAFU B U17

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets wrapped up their WAFU B U17 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso in Friday’s third-place playoff in Yamoussoukro. While the win secured bronze medals, it could not erase the disappointment of missing out on qualification for next year's U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ahmed Yusuf, making his first start of the tournament, delivered a standout performance. The forward broke the deadlock just five minutes after the restart, firing a low long-range shot beyond the Burkinabe goalkeeper. Nigeria had created several chances in the first half but failed to make them count before Yusuf’s breakthrough.

Substitute Famous Umole sealed the win in the 77th minute, calmly slotting home after a clever pass from Paul Ugwu. Yusuf’s top display won him the Player of the Match award.

This result gave Nigeria bronze for the second consecutive year. However, it also underlined a worrying trend: the record five-time world champions will once again be absent from the U17 AFCON and FIFA U17 World Cup, despite their historic dominance at youth level.

The Golden Eaglets had started brightly, thrashing Benin 4-1 in their opening match before drawing goalless with Burkina Faso to top Group B. But their hopes ended in the semi-final, where Ghana punished defensive lapses to win 2-0 and snatch the AFCON ticket. Burkina Faso also lost to hosts Ivory Coast, setting up the third-place clash.

For Nigeria, a nation famous for producing top football talents, bronze is little consolation.