Ghana qualify for U-20 AFCON despite losing U-20 WAFU B final to Nigeria

The Ghana Under-20 Men’s team suffered a 2-1 defeat to rivals Nigeria in the final of the U-20 WAFU Cup of Nations in Togo.

The Flying Eagles are now champions of the sub-region after an impressive showing on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

Nigeria were the better side in the first half but had to dig deep before finding the back of the net twice in the final 15 minutes of the half.

Kparobo Arierhi's outstanding finish in the 33rd minute of play gave Nigeria the lead.

Ten minutes later, after a loose ball in the 18-yard box, Arierhi scored his second on the day to extend his team's lead.

The Black Satellites came back from recess stronger and came into the game dominating possession. Desmond Offei’s boys kept pushing and they were finally recorded in the 75th minute.

Jerry Afriyie scored that goal, which was his fifth at the tournament, with only 15 minutes to play. The Black Satellites kept fighting but failed to restore parity despite creating a number of good chances.

Black Satellites still qualify for AFCON

Since the WAFU B U20 Championship also acts as the entry point to Africa's U-20 competition, coach Desmond Ofei and his squad can rejoice over their accomplishment of earning AFCON qualification.

The 2025 AFCON will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, where the top four teams will advance, hence the stakes will be higher there.

Despite missing out on the U-20 WAFU B title, the Black Satellites have shown they can compete against any team on the continent and it’s exciting to see how far they will go in both the AFCON and World Cup.

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