Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets sealed a 3-2 victory over Ghana in their third place playoff match at the WAFU B U-17 Championship, on Tuesday.

Manu Garba’s side came from behind in the thrilling match but still failed to clinch a berth in the upcoming CAF U17 Cup of Nations, slated to be hosted by Cote d’Ivoire.

The Nigerian youngsters took the lead in the 9th minute as Imrana Muhammad found the back of the net amidst a goalmouth scramble.

However, Ghana swiftly responded, equalizing in the 19th minute when a Nigerian defender redirected the ball into his own net.

Ghana went ahead in the 27th minute when Harve Gbafa beat Nigerian goalkeeper Dominic Chinedu, giving the Black Starlets a fleeting lead.

The Eaglets refused to be outdone, as Adeleke nodded in the equalizer just before halftime, capitalizing on a pull-out by John Ogwuche.

With tension mounting and the game heading to penalties, Adeleke emerged as the hero in added time, netting the decisive goal.

There were speculations that the expansion of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, CAF could admit three rather than two teams from the WAFU B zone.

However, CAF’s Director of Competitions Samson Adamu confirmed to the NFF, that its regulations for zonal qualifiers will remain.

“The final tournament will still have 12 teams,” said the CAF official.

Qatar will host five consecutive FIFA U17 World Cup finals beginning next year, each having 48 teams in attendance.