Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets suffered another painful U-17 exit after playing out a 1-1 draw with Côte d’Ivoire in their final Group B fixture of the WAFU B U-17 Championship.
The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of progressing in the qualifying tournament, with the five-time world champions finishing bottom of Group B with just one point from two matches.
Côte d’Ivoire finished second with two points, while Niger topped the group with four points.
The Golden Eaglets delivered a much-improved performance compared with their opening game, in which they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Niger. However, defensive confusion proved costly as Nigeria conceded midway through the first half.
Nigeria returned from the break with greater urgency and determination, pushing hard for an equaliser and creating several promising opportunities.
Their persistence finally paid off five minutes from time when substitute John Abiodun levelled the score following an impressive solo run by Colombus Igboenyobe.
Abiodun nearly completed a dramatic turnaround in the 89th minute after breaking clear on goal, but he blazed his effort over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.
A minute later, Nigeria came agonisingly close to snatching a late winner, only for the Ivorian goalkeeper to produce an excellent save, turning a goal-bound effort behind for a corner.
WAFU B U-17 Championship: Golden Eaglets crash out after draw with Cote d'Ivoire