Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will face hosts Côte d’Ivoire in the WAFU-B Under-20 Championship semi-finals after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in their final match in Group B on Sunday.
The defending champions saw their perfect start to the tournament come to an abrupt end as the Young Stallions produced a clinical first-half display to claim top spot.
Burkina Faso broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute after making the most of a corner-kick situation, with a powerful header beating the Nigerian goalkeeper.
The Flying Eagles struggled to respond and were punished again 13 minutes later when Burkina Faso doubled their advantage with a well-struck long-range free kick.
Nigeria entered the decisive Group B clash with maximum points after impressive victories over Ghana and Togo.
The Flying Eagles defeated the Black Satellites of Ghana 4-2 in their opening game before recording a convincing 3-0 victory over the Junior Sparrow Hawks of Togo, raising expectations of another strong performance against Burkina Faso.
However, the Young Stallions proved a different proposition, frustrating Nigeria’s attacking players and protecting their two-goal advantage throughout the second half.
The result saw Burkina Faso finish top of Group B with seven points, while Nigeria settled for second place.
This means the Flying Eagles will now meet hosts Côte d’Ivoire, who topped Group A, in the semi-finals.
In the other last-four encounter, Burkina Faso will take on Niger Republic who finished second in Group A.
Both semi-final matches are scheduled for Wednesday, August 5, with the winners securing places in the final where the champion will join Ghana in the 2027 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.