Nigeria’s U-17 football team fell 1-0 to their South African counterparts in the semi-final of the 11th African U-17 Championship at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey in Niger Republic on Wednesday evening.
Khaniysa Mayo’s strike in the 26th minute proved to be the difference between the sides in an action-packed enconuter.
Nigeria, who had topped their Group in the first round, were facing South Africa for the second time in the history of the competition.
Prior to the fixture, the defending World U-17 Champions were tipped to overcome the South African onslaught and qualify for the final.
The team, coached by former Super Eagles star Emmanuel Amuneke, have already booked their at the next FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile later this year and will have to face the losers of the second semifinal match between Mali and Guinea on March 1 at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey.
About the Writer: Arinze Ude (@arturozinga) is an aspiring cancer research scientist with a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (Haematology). He is keen on building partnerships and managing the careers of Nigerian sportsmen and women. He blogs at
http://arturozinga.wordpress.com
