Nigeria’s Flying Eagles suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the final of the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship on Sunday, surrendering their regional title and missing out on automatic qualification for the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Ghana.
Burkina Faso made a stunning start in the final, racing into a three-goal lead before Nigeria could settle into the contest.
Alassana Bagayogo opened the scoring in the fourth minute before Loukman Asharaf Tapsoba doubled the advantage just a minute later.
The Young Stallions continued to punish Nigeria’s defensive weaknesses and added a third goal through Issouf Dabo in the 15th minute, leaving the Flying Eagles facing a huge deficit.
Nigeria struggled to cope with Burkina Faso’s intensity and found themselves 3-0 down at the break.
The result was particularly disappointing for the Flying Eagles, who had entered the final as defending champions.
The Abdu Maikaba-led team attempted to mount a comeback after the restart, pulling one goal back through Abdulmuiz Adeleke in the 53rd minute.
However, the goal could not spark a complete recovery as Burkina Faso maintained their advantage and continued to frustrate Nigeria.
Fadil Barro then put the result beyond doubt by scoring Burkina Faso’s fourth goal in the fifth minute of added time, sealing a comprehensive 4-1 victory for the Young Stallions.
Wale Adejumo
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