Two second half goals from Senegal ended the dreams of Nigeria’s U-20 National Team from lifting the U-20 WAFU Cup on Sunday night in Lome, Togo.
It was a good effort from the Nigeria side handled by Paul Aigbogun bearing in mind, that they have never played at such a competitive level since coming together as a team.
Notwithstanding finishing as runners up, the tournament would help prepare the team for next year’s CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations where they have been drawn against hosts Niger, South Africa and Burundi in Group A.
The 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations kicks off from February 2 to 7 in Niger whose team, the Junior Menas lost to Mali 2-1 in the third place
To reach the final, Nigeria defeated Mali in penalties on Friday and also arch rivals Ghana in the group stage. The WAFU Cup served as a dress rehearsal for the U-20 Afcon which would determine the four countries that would represent the continent at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.
Read Also: WAFU Cup: Flying Eagles coach salutes players after qualifying for final
Nigeria who failed to qualify for the 2017 edition, remains the only country to have won the U-20 Afcon seven times and will be aiming to make a statement when the tournament gets underway.