Starlets face Nigeria in tricky final

The Black Starlets of Ghana and the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will lock horns today in the WAFU Under-17 final with the sole ticket for the 2019 Under-17 AFCON up for grabs.

Nigeria defeated host nation Niger 2-1 in the semi-finals, while Ghana beat neighbours Cote d'Ivoire by the same margin to set the stage for an epic clash at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché.

The Starlets have been very delightful throughout the tournament, with players such as Abdul Samed, Eugene Adjei, Salim Kasim, Christian Boateng and others on top of their game.

Nigeria, on the other hand, have been strong in defence and deadly upfront, with their lead striker Olakunle Oluwasegun netting four goals so far.

The young Eaglets have a ferocious attacking partnership between Oluwasegun and Akinwumi Amoo who have been tormenting defenders of opposing teams.

But Ghana Coach Karim Zito is expected to continue with his free-flowing football which can expose the Nigerians at the back, while ensuring a compact defence to handle the threat of the Nigerian attack.

Ghana will again rely on Taufiq Shaibuand Christian Agyenim Boateng to deliver the goals since they have proved to be a dominant force upfront throughout the tournament.

The winner of today’s final will represent the West Africa Zone B at the Africa  U-17 Championship  slated for Tanzania next year.

The top three countries at the Under-17 AFCON will represent Africa at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2019.