The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria have been paired with the Burkina Faso Under-17 team for the quarter-finals round of the Under-17 AFCON in Algeria.
The Nigerian team led by Coach Nduka Ugbade booked their place in the quarter-finals round after a hard-fought victory against South Africa on Saturday.
During the game, the Golden Eaglets had to come from behind twice to steal a very important victory to finish second in Group B and earned a date with Burkina Faso.
Before then, the Eaglets started their Under-17 AFCON campaign on a high note as they defeated Zambia 1-0 on April 30. But their second group game ended in a 1-0 defeat against Morocco. They then bounced back against South Africa with a 3-2 win.
On the other hand, Burkina Faso defeated Cameroon 2-1 on Sunday to book a place in the quarter-finals after finishing second in Group C.
The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will face the Burkina Faso side in the quarter-finals on Thursday, May 11 at the Stade Nelson Mandela. The game is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 (8 PM WAT).
Interestingly, Nigeria and Burkina Faso last faced each other at the Under-17 level less than a year ago. They were in the same group for the 2023 Under-17 AFCON qualifiers. The Golden Eaglets defeated their West African brothers 2-1.
Hence, the Eaglets are expected to maintain such a form when the two teams meet again this week for a must-win knockout round.
