On Sunday, Côte d’Ivoire triumphed over the home team Ghana with a score of 2-1, securing a place in the final against Nigeria’s Flying Eagles in the WAFU B U-20 tournament. Despite an early goal from Benjamin Tsivanyo just two minutes into the match, Côte d’Ivoire bounced back with a penalty equalizer from Abdoul Bamba. With 20 minutes left, Ali Kone scored the decisive goal for Côte d’Ivoire. In the earlier semi-final that took place on the same day, the Flying Eagles advanced to the final by defeating Niger Republic in a penalty shootout, with a score of 4-3. The match concluded without goals after 90 minutes and was settled via penalties. Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt, who made a crucial save during the shootout, received the Player of the Match Award. The Flying Eagles are participating in the WAFU B U-20 tournament as part of their preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. Their qualification for the World Cup was secured after they reached the semi-finals of the U-20 AFCON in Egypt, finishing in third place. In the group stage, they will compete against Colombia, Norway, and Saudi Arabia. Historically, the Flying Eagles have twice finished as runners-up in the FIFA U-20 World Cups, losing to Portugal (2-0) in 1989 and Argentina (2-1) in 2005. Additionally, they secured a third-place finish in the 1985 tournament after defeating the host nation, the Soviet Union (now Russia), in a penalty shootout.
