Nigeria’s Flying Eagles stormed into the semi-finals of the WAFU B U-20 Championship with an emphatic 4-1 comeback victory over Benin Republic.
Despite falling behind early in the contest, coach Aliyu Zubairu’s boys displayed resilience and attacking flair to turn the tide in their favour.
Benin Republic took a surprise lead in the 24th minute through a stunning free-kick by Junior Olugbade, briefly silencing the Nigerian bench.
However, Nigeria found their rhythm before the break, with Mohammed Abdullahi finishing off a neat pass from Divine Oliseh in the 38th minute to level the score.
The second half saw the Flying Eagles take full control of the match. Ezekiel Kpangu fired Nigeria into the lead just two minutes after the restart, capitalizing on a defensive lapse.
As Benin struggled to recover, Imrana Muhammed added a third in the 87th minute, finishing coolly after a smart assist from skipper Daniel Bameyi.
Substitute Abduljeleel then put the icing on the cake in added time, rounding off a dominant performance that secured Nigeria’s place in the last four of the tournament.
