Nigeria’s U17 team, the Golden Eaglets, wrapped up their WAFU-B U17 Championship campaign on a high note, defeating Burkina Faso 2-0 in the third-place match on Friday in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

After missing out on a place in the final and with it, qualification for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, the Eaglets showed resilience to finish the tournament on a positive note. Goals from Ahmed Yusuf and Famous Umole sealed the victory for Manu Garba’s side.

The head coach made a few tweaks to his starting lineup, handing starts to Ahmed Yusuf and Auwal Muhammad. Much like their earlier meeting in the group stage, the first half was largely uneventful, with both sides struggling to create clear chances. Nigeria’s goalkeeper Edafe Great produced a crucial save to keep the scoreline level before the break.

After the restart, the Eaglets found their rhythm. Ahmed Yusuf pounced on a loose ball in the final third and fired a low shot into the bottom corner to open the scoring.

Nigeria grew in confidence, dictating play, and creating more opportunities. In the final 20 minutes, Paul Ugwu, who impressed throughout the tournament, threaded a superb through ball to substitute Famous Umole, who made no mistake, slotting past the Burkinabe goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

That proved to be the final act of the contest as the Golden Eaglets secured a commendable third-place finish.