Golden Eaglets head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has apologised to Nigerians following the team’s disappointing early exit from the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Golden Eaglets head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has apologised to Nigerians following the team’s disappointing early exit from the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso.

Nigeria’s hopes of securing a place at the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco were dashed on Saturday after the Golden Eaglets played out a 1-1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire.

The result came after Nigeria suffered a 2-1 defeat to Niger Republic in their opening match of the tournament.

The Golden Eaglets needed a victory against the Ivorians to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals. However, the draw confirmed their elimination at the group stage.

Their failure to qualify for the continental tournament also means Nigeria will miss the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The country last participated in the competition in 2019.

Reacting to the disappointing outcome, Uwejamomere admitted that both the players and the coaching crew were unhappy with the result and its consequences for Nigerian football.

He expressed disappointment over the team’s inability to progress, noting that missing next year’s U-17 AFCON was a major setback.

“Obviously, the first impressions are unhappiness and disappointment. Now we are out of the tournament, and the bigger picture is that we won’t go to the U-17 AFCON next year; we are unhappy and very disappointed overall,” he said.

Despite the setback, the coach urged the young players to learn from the experience and use it as an opportunity to improve their performances as they advance in their football careers.

According to him, most members of the squad are between 15 and 16 years old and still have sufficient time to develop their talents and fulfil their potential.

“For my players, obviously young boys, 15- and 16-year-olds, they still have years ahead of them. This is like the first chapter of their career going into elite football. So it’s just to learn from this and just use this as an experience going forward in their career,” he added.

Uwejamomere also acknowledged the disappointment among Nigerian football fans, who had hoped the team would progress further in the competition.

While recognising the supporters’ right to express their frustrations over the early elimination, the coach appealed for their forgiveness, stressing that the players and technical crew were equally hurt by the outcome.

“The only thing I can say to them is to forgive us because of the disappointment they feel I’m also feeling; my players are also feeling the same disappointment,” he said.

Tighten the match-result explanationReduce repeated disappointment references

Alex Iwobi and Akor Adams found the back of the net for their respective clubs, while Rafiu Durosinmi continued his impressive scoring run as Nigerian footballers experienced mixed fortunes across Europe last weekend.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Tochukwu Nnadi provided an assist for Marseille, while Samuel Adeniran also scored in Austria.

However, Victor Osimhen failed to register a goal or assist for the first time in 19 consecutive league appearances for Galatasaray, while Nigerian goalkeepers Maduka Okoye and Chiamaka Nnadozie each conceded three goals.

Iwobi Scores Fulham’s Winner

Iwobi scored the decisive goal as Fulham secured a 1-0 victory over Hull City at Craven Cottage on Saturday, earning their first Premier League win of the season.

The midfielder struck in the 33rd minute after receiving a pass from Sander Berge on the edge of the penalty area. His low effort took a deflection off Lucas Herrington before beating goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis.

The goal was Iwobi’s first in the league this season and took his Premier League tally to 36, drawing him level with former Nigerian international Peter Odemwingie in joint-sixth place among Nigerian scorers in the competition.

Fulham captain Calvin Bassey played the entire match, while compatriot Semi Ajayi also completed 90 minutes for Hull City.

Adams Ends Scoring Drought

Adams ended a four-game goal drought by scoring the winner in Venezia’s 1-0 Serie A victory over Napoli.

The Nigerian forward scored four minutes into the second half after receiving a long pass from Simon Sohm. He held off Amir Rrahmani before his effort took a deflection and beat Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret.

The result gave Venezia their first league victory of the season and marked a winning start for Davide Nicola, who took charge following Giovanni Stroppa’s dismissal.

Adams, who joined the club from Sevilla during the summer, has now scored four goals in nine appearances across all competitions.

Durosinmi Continues Impressive Form

In Belgium, Durosinmi scored as Genk defeated Virton 2-0 in the Belgian Cup on Saturday, taking his season tally to seven goals.

After Daan Heymans opened the scoring, the Nigerian forward doubled Genk’s advantage in the 28th minute, finishing Junya Ito’s through-ball by sliding the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs.

Nnadi Registers First Assist For Marseille

Nnadi recorded his first assist of the season as Marseille defeated Angers 5-2 in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Making his first start of the campaign, the midfielder won possession in the middle of the park before threading a pass through to Amine Harit, who curled the ball into the net to score Marseille’s fourth goal in the 83rd minute.

Adeniran Scores In Austria

Adeniran also made his mark in Austria, scoring LASK’s second goal in their 4-0 away victory over Austria Lustenau.

The forward converted a pass from Saša Kalajdžić in the 64th minute to extend his side’s lead.

Okoye, Nnadozie Concede Three Goals

Despite making eight saves, Okoye could not prevent Udinese from suffering a 3-0 defeat to Lecce in Serie A.

The goalkeeper earned a FotMob rating of 7.0, the highest among Udinese players, even as his team recorded a fifth consecutive league defeat.

Nnadozie also endured a difficult outing as Brighton Women lost 3-2 away to Manchester City in the Women’s Super League.

Khadija Shaw scored twice for City before Niamh Charles added a third. Olivia Garcia and Caitlin Hayes scored for Brighton, but their efforts were not enough to secure a point.

Osimhen’s Goal Contribution Run Ends

In Turkey, Osimhen played the full 90 minutes as Galatasaray defeated Gençlerbirliği 1-0, with the winning goal coming through a late own goal.

Despite registering seven shots, the Nigerian striker failed to score or provide an assist, bringing an end to his run of goal contributions in consecutive league appearances. He had recorded 18 goals and eight assists during the streak.

Other Nigerian Players Abroad

Elsewhere, Alex Baena scored Atlético Madrid’s late winner in a 1-0 victory over Espanyol after replacing Ademola Lookman at half-time.

Tolu Arokodare helped create a goal for Ajax in their Eredivisie encounter against Groningen, while Samuel Chukwueze started in AC Milan’s 3-2 win over Atalanta.

Moses Simon featured as Paris FC edged Rennes 4-3, while Josh Maja came off the bench in Le Havre’s 3-1 defeat to Auxerre.

In Germany, Nathan Tella featured as Bayer Leverkusen defeated Freiburg 2-1, while Victor Boniface remained an unused substitute.

Gift Orban failed to add to his seven league goals as Amedspor defeated Chidozie Awaziem’s Konyaspor 1-0 in Turkey.

Emmanuel Fernandez featured for Rangers in their 2-2 draw against Dundee, while Nwachukwu was part of the Sabah squad that recorded a convincing 4-0 victory over Gabala in Azerbaijan.