Nigeria’s U-20 Women’s national team, the Falconet defeated Ghana’s Black Princesses 3-1 in their U-20 WAFU-B Girls Cup campaign on Saturday in Benin Republic.
According to local media reports on Sunday, the opening half of the game lived up to the billing of a fierce West African derby, with both sides battling for control in the middle of the park.
The Nigerian women, however, broke the deadlock in the 37th minute after a Ghanaian defender handled the ball inside the 18-yard box and Akekoromowei made no mistake from the spot, sending goalkeeper Grace Andoh the wrong way to hand the Falconets a deserved lead.
On resumption of the second half, Akekoromowei struck again in the 46th minute showing great composure to lift a clever lob over Andoh pouncing on a loose ball in the Ghanaian box.
Ghana reduced the deficit just four minutes into the second half through Sarah Nyarko, who finished from close range to restore hope for the Black Princesses and brought the score line to 2-1.
The Ghanaians pressed for an equaliser, but Nigeria’s backline frustrated their opponents with disciplined defending.
The Falconets sealed their win two minutes from regulation time when Favour Chiamaka’s in-swinging corner sailed over Andoh into the net, restoring Nigeria’s two-goal advantage.
With the 3-1 victory, Nigeria top Group A and will next face hosts Benin Republic on Sunday and later meet Ghana on Tuesday.
The Black Princesses of Ghana had on Friday defeated the host Benin Republic 2-0 in their WAFU B U20 Girls’ Cup title defense.
The 2025 WAFU Zone B Under-20 Girls’ Cup began on Friday with just three participating nations – Nigeria, Ghana and hosts Benin Republic and will end on Wednesday.
The WAFU B U-20 Girls’ Cup serves as a crucial developmental platform for identifying new talents and preparing national squads for upcoming CAF and FIFA youth competitions.
GIK/APA