Bayelsa Queens started the game and pressed for the early goal which came when Miracle Joseph curled in a beautiful shot from the left side to put the Prosperity Girls in front on 3 minute, before the first goal Kasali Alake made a faulty back pass in the second minute but for the brilliance and alertness of goalkeeper Ange Bawou in goal for Bayelsa Queens it would have been the opener.

Etim Edidiong got the second goal in the 5 minutes after which it became a ding-dong affairs as both teams tried to score and in the tenth minutes of play captain of Bayelsa Queens FC, Igwe Uzoamaka made another faulty back pass that Joy Igbazenda of Athleta FC having only Bawou to beat played wide.

The first half ended with Bayelsa Queens FC up by two goals to nil.

The Prosperity Girls started the second half the way they finished the first but were unable to get the third goal. But got rewarded on the 65th minutes when Etim Edidiong scored a beautiful goal to make it three nil.

Edidiong Etim scored two more goals in the 77 and 80 minutes to complete the annihilation of Athleta FC.

Bayelsa Queens will take on Ampem Darkoa in matchday two on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Miracle Joseph of Bayelsa Queens FC was named woman of the match.

Earlier, Anpem Darkoa of Ghana defeated USFA of Burkina Faso three nil.

Few weeks after claiming the WAFU B U20 Championship, Nigeria again underscored her undoubted strength in youth football when she swept to the U17 title in the region, as five-time world champions Golden Eaglets edged the Young Stallions of Burkina Faso 2-1 in Saturday’s final at the Cape Coast Stadium in Ghana.

Forward Abubakar Abdullahi had threatened the Burkinabe rear as early as the 8^th minute when his low drive streamed away from goal, but in the 22^nd minute, he rose highest in the box to powerfully nod Emmanuel Michael’s perfect delivery into the net for Nigeria’s first goal.

In the 34^th minute, Abdullahi missed a golden opportunity to make it two for himself and for Nigeria, but he flulled his lines, allowing the Stallions a respite. The miss would knock hard seven minutes later, when Abdulramane Ouedraogo, also with a header, equalized for Burkina Faso.

Two minutes into the second half, Abdullahi got his second and Nigeria’s second, taking the Golden Eaglets to a 2-1 lead. However, 12 minutes later, he should have made it a hat-trick and Nigeria’s third but he lost the opportunity.

That loss could once more have proved costly, as the Stallions broke forward, only to see Nigeria goalkeeper Richard Odoh come up with a magnificent save.

In the 67^th minute, Ebube Okeke rocked the crossbar from 25 yards, but there were to be no more goals and Nigeria collected a second regional diadem at youth level five weeks after the U20 boys defeated neighbours Benin Republic in the final to win the WAFU B competition in Niger Republic.

Nigeria goalkeeper Richard Odoh was selected the Man-of-the-Match. His compatriot Emmanuel Michael won the prize in all three previous matches against Ghana, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire. 

By: Abdulquadir Adedapo

Flying Eagles forward Ibrahim Muhammed Beji has promised not to drop his guard when they take to the field on Tuesday evening in their second game at the ongoing WAFU Zone B U-20 qualifiers in Niger as they bid to reach the semifinals of the competition.

The Maikunkele FC striker grabbed the headlines on Sunday when he scored and produced a man-of-the-match performance for Nigeria in their 2-0 win over eternal rivals Ghana to take supremacy of group B.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s game against Burkina Faso, the Flying Eagles winger promised Nigerians that the team would not be complacent against their opponents as they bid to return smiles to the faces of football lovers back home.

“I am happy for the way we have started here in Niger, I am grateful for the opportunity to represent my country, and scoring the first goal of the tournament even makes it special for me and my family as well.

“On Wednesday we go again in our second match, we are not in the next round yet so we would approach the game like the first, we want to win and win well to please the fans back home in Nigeria.

Muhammad further went on to praise the Technical crew led by Ladan Bosso stating that the coaches have instilled discipline and the right tactics into every member of the team.

The Flying Eagles need just a point to top group B and advance to the semifinals having defeated the Black Satellite of Ghana 2-0 in their opening game last Sunday.