THE Flying Eagles have booked their ticket to the semi-finals of the WAFU B U-20 Championship in Niamey, Niger Republic.
The Nigerian lads were held to a 2-2 draw by Burkina Faso this evening, but the one point was enough for Ladan Bosso’s men to progress to the semi-finals of the sub-regional tournament.
Having beaten Ghana 2-0 in their opening match last Saturday, the Flying Eagles now have four points and cannot finish below second in the three-team Group B.
Nigeria led twice, first through Ibrahim Mohammad and again through Ibrahim Yahaya, but Burkina Faso equalised each time to earn a valuable draw.
The Burkinabes face Ghana in the last match of the group on Saturday. A draw would see Burkina Faso through to the semi-finals along with Nigeria, while a win for Ghana would take the Black Satellites through.
The Flying Eagles will qualify for the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations if they reach the final in Niamey, as two teams from the WAFU B tournament will qualify for the continental championship.
The U-20 AFCON will in turn serve as the qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup later in 2023.
