Udeze Left Stunned As Niger Shock Golden Eaglets In WAFU B Opener

Former Nigeria international Ifeanyi Udeze has expressed disbelief after the Golden Eaglets suffered a 2-1 defeat to Niger Republic in their opening Group B match at the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The defeat has put Nigeria under pressure to win their final group match to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals and qualifying for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations alive.

Niger took the lead in the 20th minute through Abdoul Razaq Zada before Abdoul Rakilou doubled their advantage in the 86th minute, capitalising on a defensive lapse to put his side in control.

The Golden Eaglets responded late, with Mubarak Fasiu finding the net five minutes into stoppage time. However, Nigeria failed to find an equaliser as Niger held on to claim all three points.

Niger’s Saminou Salissou Nouhou earned the Man of the Match award for his influential performance as his country strengthened its position in Group B.

The victory took Niger to four points from two matches and secured their place in the semi-finals following an earlier 1-1 draw with Côte d’Ivoire.

Speaking on BRILA FM, Udeze questioned how Nigeria could lose to Niger despite the abundance of football talent in the country.

“I still can’t process it, I can’t believe the Golden Eaglets lost to a team like Niger Republic,” Udeze said.

“We have talents all over the place, if you are talking about talents they are everywhere in the country, so I find it hard to understand that we lost to Niger Republic.”

Nigeria must now defeat Côte d’Ivoire in their final group match to keep their semi-final hopes alive.