Ugbade sure Nigeria will beat Cote d’Ivoire for WAFU B U-17 final ticket

Nduka Ugbade. Photo/modernghana

Head Coach, Nduka Ugbade, has assured that Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will go all out against their Ivoirian counterparts in today’s first semifinal match of the ongoing WAFU B U-17 Championship in Cape Coast, Ghana.  

The Eaglets, five-time world champions, decimated Ghana’s Black Starlets 4-2 in the tournament opener and then eased past Togo’s Young Sparrowhawks 3-1 to finish as Group A winners. The Ivoirians finished as runners-up of Group B, dominated by Burkina Faso’s Young Etalons.   Victory in the encounter will send the Eaglets into the final and with an opportunity to reclaim the WAFU B U-17 title they won in Niamey, Niger Republic four years ago. It also provides the Nigerian youngsters a revenge platform against the Ivoirians, who defeated them in the final of the same competition in Lome early last year. Both Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire qualified for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations from that tournament, but the event was cancelled as hosts Morocco developed cold feet with the COVID-19 pandemic still biting in some countries.   Meanwhile, president of the Ghana Football Association, Simeon Kurt-Okraku, on Sunday visited the camp of the Golden Eaglets in his capacity as President of WAFU B region. He reminded the lads that Nigeria belongs to the top echelon of football-playing nations on the African continent, and has produced so many world-class players. He charged the boys to always adhere to the instructions of their coaches in order to grow, advance and excel in the beautiful game.  

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