Nigeria 4-1 Benin: George Agah hits first-half hat-trick as Golden Eaglets claim first WAFU B U17 win

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets made a ruthless start to their WAFU-B U17 Championship campaign with a 4-1 dismantling of Benin in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire, Soccernet.ng reports. 

Teenage forward George Agha stole the show with a blistering first-half hat-trick, while captain David Edeh added another as Manu Garba’s side wrapped up victory before the interval.

The Eaglets wasted no time asserting dominance.

Agha opened the scoring from the penalty spot after just four minutes, following a foul on lively winger Boluwatife Thompson.

Two minutes later, Thompson drew another foul, and Edeh’s whipped free-kick doubled the lead.

By the 14th minute, Agha struck again after a flowing team move from the back. His third came on 31 minutes, pouncing on a defensive blunder after Thompson had dispossessed the Benin goalkeeper to set up the chance.

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Benin, already under pressure after losing their opener to Burkina Faso, managed a lifeline on the stroke of halftime through skipper Jeremy Zannou, who smashed home after a clever cutback from Raphael Fatouzoun.

But the Baby Cheetahs never truly threatened a comeback. Nigeria controlled the second half with composure, Garba rotating his squad with one eye on Saturday’s group decider against Burkina Faso.

The emphatic win sends Nigeria into the semifinals and keeps their bid alive to qualify for next year’s U17 AFCON, the gateway to the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.