Nigeria’s Flying Eagles kicked off their campaign to retain the WAFU B U-20 Championship title in impressive fashion, defeating arch-rivals Ghana 4-2 in an exciting Group B encounter on Monday.
The defending champions made a bright start and were rewarded in the sixth minute when Olayemi Ayinla found the back of the net to hand Nigeria an early advantage.
Ghana fought back strongly and levelled the score in the 23rd minute through Mohammed Zaidan, who finished confidently to restore parity for the Black Satellites.
Nigeria quickly regained control of the contest, with Oraro Isaac putting the Flying Eagles back in front on the half-hour mark before Muiz Adeleke added a third goal five minutes later, giving Coach Abdu Maikaba’s side a comfortable 3-1 lead at half-time.
The Black Satellites reduced the deficit shortly after the restart when Kelvin Nkrumah converted a penalty, raising hopes of a comeback for the Ghanaians.
However, the Flying Eagles remained composed and wrapped up the victory late in the game as Adeleke calmly converted another penalty to complete his brace and seal a deserved 4-2 triumph.
The victory gives Nigeria a perfect start in their quest for a third consecutive WAFU B U-20 Championship crown.
The Flying Eagles will now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Togo’s Sparrow Hawks as they look to build on their winning start.
