Golden Eaglets to face Burkina Faso in U17 AFCON quarterfinals

Nigeria's Golden Eaglets will face Burkina Faso in the quarterfinals of the ongoing CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria.

The Eaglets secured their place in the knockout stage on Saturday after finishing second in Group B, following a thrilling 3-2 victory over South Africa.

The coach Nduka Ugbade-led boys had to come from behind twice against the Amajimbos before netting a late winner.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian lads had earlier defeated Zambia 1-0 and lost by a similar margin to Morocco.

The Golden Eaglets' opponent in the last eight has now been determined after Burkina Faso defeated defending champions Cameroon 2-1 in the last Group C match played at the Stade du 19 Mai 1956 in Annaba. Souleymane Alio's brilliant second-half brace sealed the win for Burkina Faso.

The Burkinabes, with the win, finish as runners-up in the group behind Mali, and they will have to trade tackles with former champions Nigeria for a place in the semifinals.

Both teams will be eager to score a win, knowing that the top four teams in the AFCON tournament will earn a coveted place at the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup later this year.