The hope of Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets participating in the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup has finally been shattered.
The five-time World Champions entered the U17 African Cup of Nations in Algeria as a favourite but ended up crashing out in the quarter-final.
After qualifying for the knockout rounds as second in their group, they were drawn to face rival Burkina Faso in the quarter-final of the competition.
But it was the Burkinababes that laughed last after securing a 2-1 win over Nigeria in a keenly contested game in Algiers.
Abubakar Camara put the Burkina Faso ahead in the first half and they were able to double their lead in the second stanza of the game to seize the control of proceedings.
Abubakar Abdullahi pulled one back for Nigeria midway into the second half and all the effort of the Golden Eaglets to level the game proved abortive.
Burkina Faso secured a World Cup and semi-final ticket at the expense of Nigeria with a 2-1 victory.
Senegal, Morroco, Mali and Burkina Faso are the four countries that will represent Africa at the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup.
