The Flying Eagles of Nigeria secured a place in the semi-finals of the WAFU B U-20 Championship after beating Togo’s Sparrow Hawks 3-0 in Yamoussoukro on Thursday.
The defending champions have now won their opening two matches, following their 4-2 victory over Ghana, and are through to the last four with a game to spare. The result also ended Togo’s hopes of progressing after their earlier 3-1 defeat to Burkina Faso.
The first half produced few clear opportunities, with both teams unable to find a breakthrough before the interval. Nigeria, however, emerged from the dressing room with renewed urgency and took the lead within a minute of the restart.
Muiz Adeleke opened the scoring with a composed finish to give Abdu Maikaba’s side the advantage before striking again in the 57th minute to put the Flying Eagles firmly in control.
The in-form forward has now scored four goals in two matches, making him one of the competition’s leading performers. Abdullahi Agbeloye added a third goal five minutes from time to complete an impressive second-half display.
The victory lifts Nigeria to six points from two Group B matches and confirms their place in the semi-finals. The Flying Eagles will conclude their group campaign against Burkina Faso on Sunday.
