Sports
WAFU B U20 Championship: Junior Stallions end Flying Eagles winning steak
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles suffered winning stride at the ongoing WAFU B U20 Championship was halted yesterday with a 0-2 loss to the Junior Stallions of Burkina Faso in their last Group B match
The defeat did not however stop the coach Abdul Maikaba tutored dude from qualifying for the semi finals of the championship, as they had earlier won their first two matches
The Flying Eagles had opened the tournament with a 4-2 victory over Ghana before defeating Togo 3-0 to put themselves in a strong position for qualification.
However, they were outplayed by Burkina Faso, who secured top spot in the group with seven points from three matches.
Nigeria finished second on six points, while Ghana ended third with two points after a goalless draw against Togo. Togo finished bottom with one point.
Burkina Faso took the lead in the 23rd minute when Alassana Bagayogo headed home from a corner.
The Young Stallions doubled their advantage 13 minutes later as Mohamed Zongo curled a superb free-kick from about 30 yards beyond the Nigerian goalkeeper.
The Flying Eagles improved after the break but struggled to create clear-cut chances, with Burkina Faso remaining compact at the back to preserve their two-goal lead.
The result means Burkina Faso will face Niger in one semi-final, while Nigeria will take on hosts Côte d’Ivoire in the other.
The winners of both semi-finals will qualify for the final and secure places at the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Ghana.
Former Chelsea midfielder, Ruud Gullit, believes that England international, Marcus Rashford’s return to Manchester United could be the best Premier League signing of the summer.
Rashford recently returned to Manchester United after his loan spell at Barcelona ended.
Barcelona were expected to make the 28-year-old’s loan deal permanent in a £26million deal.
But the LaLiga champions ended up signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United and didn’t sign Rashford permanently.
Rashford has already joined up with Michael Carrick’s side at pre-season training after his World Cup break ended.
Speaking to Sport Witness, Gullit said, “Marcus Rashford could end up being the best signing.
“He learned a lot at Barcelona and played much better, with far more freedom, than he ever did at Manchester United.”
Ghana and South Africa have clinched the two African slots for the Inter-Confederation play-offs ahead of the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
This follows their victories in the African play-offs on Thursday night.
The Black Queens came from a goal down to defeat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the first game.
Bayana Bayana also held on to beat Nigeria 2-1 despite going down to 10 men in stoppage them.
They both advance to a six-team preliminary round in the Inter-Confederation play-offs.
From there, two countries will progress to a final play-off phase alongside four nations that receive direct byes.
The Galatasaray management has sent a clear message to clubs interested in signing Victor Osimhen that their top striker is not for sale.
Osimhen has been linked with Arsenal and Al-Hilal this summer transfer window.
Reports emerged that Al-Hilal have entered the race to sign the Nigerian international as they aim to sell former Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema
Also, it was reported that Arsenal have asked about the 27-year-old, with the Gunners and Galatasaray currently in talks over a possible transfer of the Super Eagles attacker.
However, according to Erdem Açıkgöz’s report (via Habersarikirmizi), the Galatasaray management has now responded, insisting, “Our stance is clear; no matter what, we are not selling Osimhen.”
Osimhen joined Galatasaray on a permanent transfer from Napoli last year and helped them to win the Turkish Super Lig for a second consecutive season.
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