The Golden Eaglets revived their hopes of qualifying for the 2019 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Tanzania when they defeated Cote d’l voire 5-1 in their second Group B game at the WAFU B qualifying tournament in Niger on Thursday.
Nigeria annihilated the Baby Elephants in a largely one sided cracker in Niamey to temporarily shoot to the top of the Group B with three points from two games.
Manu Garba charges fell to a 3-2 against Burkina Faso in their first game on Monday.
The Eaglets raced to 2-0 lead after 10 minutes.
They scored two more goals in the first half, before they made it 5-0 in the second half.
The Ivorians pulled a goal back from the penalty spot late in the game.
Burkina Faso will face Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday in a match that will determine the winner of the group.
Manu Garba’s wards displayed great soccer artistry and electrifying pace against the Ivorians who were clueless in Niamey.
The result is a morale booster to the five-time World Champions who surprisingly lost 3-2 to Burkina Faso in the group opener on Monday.
A new format approved for the competition at the CAF Extra-Ordinary General Assembly which took place in Rabat 13 months ago means countries in each regional bloc gather in one country within the bloc to play a qualifying tournament, as against the old format of home-and-away qualifying series.
Only the winning team from each of the blocs (apart from the bloc of the defending champions that will produce two teams) will qualify for the final tournament, slated for Tanzania next year.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
