Flying Eagles defeat Ghana to book final place

Flying Eagles of Nigeria qualified for the final of the CAF U-20 African Youth Championship with a 2-0 win over Black Satellites of Ghana at the Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor on Wednesday.

Goals from Obinna Nwobodo and captain Musa Muhammed earned Nigeria a record ninth appearance in the final of the AYC.

Both sides have met in this category five times before Wednesday’s match, with Ghana enjoying a better head-to-head with four wins in 1985 (2-1), 1993 (1-0), 1999 (1-0), and 2001 (4-1). Nigeria’s sole triumph before now was a 2-1 win in 2011.

The urge to change the tide swept the Manu Garba-tutored boys to action in the early minutes of the match.

Usman Saleh almost put his side in front barely two minutes into the game, but goalkeeper Michael Sai was alert to the danger.

At the other end though, Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Joshua Enaholo, was forced to make a save off Yaw Yeboah’s attempt on goal.

Enaholo, again, was on hand to deny Yeboah this time with a one-handed free kick save from the boot of the forward.

Nigeria finally took the lead in the 23rd minute after Muhammed’s corner was headed home by Nwobodo.

Thereafter, it became an end-to-end stuff.

The Black Satellites cleared the ball off the line to keep hope of coming back into the game alive.

A goalmouth scramble and a subsequent shot from Yeboah denied them a chance to level the score line at the other end.

Yeboah rattled the cross bar with a fierce shot while Taiwo Awoniyi failed to convert from a well-taken cross from Muhammed to extend the Eagles’ lead.

Five minutes to the end of the first half, Yeboah’s long-range shot was saved by Enaholo while Muhammed’s free kick two minutes to the break agonisingly missed the target.

Ghana searched for an equaliser on the resumption of the second half, but it was Nigeria who added a second after Muhammed was brought down in the box.

The captain dusted himself to smash home the second – his fourth in the competition.

Nigeria will now meet the winner of Thursday’s second semi-final between Mali and Senegal on Sunday in the final.