Nigeria’s Flying Eagles on Wednesday defeated hosts Côte d’Ivoire 4-3 on penalties to book a place in the final of the WAFU B U-20 Championship after a dramatic semi-final ended 2-2 following extra time.
Goalkeeper Lawani Clinton emerged as Nigeria’s hero, producing two crucial saves in the shootout to send the seven-time African champions into the final.
The Ivorians made a bright start and were rewarded with the opening goal in the 18th minute after dominating the early stages of the encounter.
Nigeria fought back in the second half, with captain Habila Simeon restoring parity in the 68th minute when he nodded home to make it 1-1.
The goal also ended Côte d’Ivoire’s run of clean sheets in the tournament.
The Flying Eagles completed the turnaround in the first half of extra time through Abubakar Aliyu, who put Nigeria ahead for the first time in the match.
However, the hosts refused to give up and struck deep into added time of extra time to level the scores at 2-2, forcing the contest into a penalty shootout.
Although Simeon missed Nigeria’s second penalty, Clinton came to the rescue by denying two Ivorian spot-kicks, helping the Flying Eagles secure a 4-3 shootout victory and a place in the championship match.
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