WAFU B U17: Golden Eaglets Are Ready For Cote D’Ivoire Clash, Says Ugbade

Golden Eaglets Head Coach, Nduka Ugbade, has given an assurance that his team will give their best against their Ivorian counterparts in Tuesday’s first semi-final match of the ongoing WAFU B U17 Championship in Cape Coast, Ghana.

Both teams will clash at the 15,000 –capacity stadium at 3pm Ghana time (4pm Nigeria time) before the second semi-final between hosts Ghana and Burkina Faso at the same venue.

“The match against Cote d’Ivoire is of high importance to us,” said Ugbade. “In fact, I have reminded the players that this one is the biggest match of their lives.

“They must win to secure a ticket to the U17 Africa Cup of Nations, and from there to the U17 World Cup, and from there to several opportunities and possibilities. Whatever we have done here (beating Ghana and Togo) will not mean much if we don’t go all out and grab our ticket to the AFCON and to the Final. We will throw everything into the fray.”

The Eaglets, five-time world champions, thrashed Ghana’s Black Starlets 4-2 in the tournament’s opener and then eased past Togo’s Young Sparrowhawks 3-1 to finish as Group A winners. The Ivorians finished as runners-up of Group B, dominated by Burkina Faso’s Young Etalons.

Victory in Tuesday’s encounter will send the Eaglets into the final and with an opportunity to reclaim the WAFU B U17 title they won in Niamey, Niger Republic four years ago.

It also provides the Nigerian youngsters a revenge platform against the Ivorians, 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 U17 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.