Nigeria’s U-20 football team, the Flying Eagles, on Wednesday, successfully defended their WAFU B U20 title with a 2-1 victory over arch rivals, the Black Starlets of Ghans, at the Stade de Kegue in Lome, Togo.

The Coach Aliyu Zubair-tutored lads were a delight to watch in the thrilling encounter as they dominated the match from start to finish and got the two goals through a brace by striker Kparobo Arierhi.

The first goal which came in the 35th minute, saw the Beyond Limits FA player expertly finishing off a flowing move, before doubling the lead just before halftime.

Though Ghana pulled a goal one back in the second half, the Flying Eagles remained resolute as they held on to achieve their well-deserved victory which also means the team has secured a spot in the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations.

The Nigerian team had strolled into final following a 3-1 semifinal thumping of Niger Republic, after they managed to scrape through the group stage courtesy of a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, despite losing their first match 0-1 to Burkina Faso.

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has vowed to appeal sanctions imposed on the country by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), following the October 15 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria which was cancelled.

The LFF said it would “go to the highest levels of litigation” as it seeks to overturn the sanctions imposed upon it by the continent’s football governing body.

In a ruling earlier in the week, CAF had decided to award three points and three goals to the Super Eagles after the team boycotted the match in Benghazi after their plane from Nigeria was diverted from its intended destination and the squad was stranded in an airport terminal overnight.

As part of the sanctions, CAF disciplinary board also fined the LFF $50,000 (£38,500).

The CAF’s sanctions also leaves Libya on the brink of elimination from qualifying for the tournament as the Mediterranean Knights need to win both of their remaining two games in Group D and hope that opponents Benin and Rwanda fail to pick up points.

But while promising to take its appeal to the highest level including the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), LFF acting president, Abdunnaser Ahmed, said his country was not given a fair hearing by CAF.

“Match points cannot be awarded in this way. It is a precedent that African football has never witnessed before. Whoever refrains from playing before any match is cancelled should be considered a loser,’ Ahmed told the BBC Sports, insinuating that Nigeria should have been punished instead of Libya.

“We believe that our cause is just. We will see CAF’s response to the appeal submitted by us and we will go to Cas. We will not give up our right. Such decisions place football officials in Africa before a new phase of dramatic scenes,” he added.