The local Black Stars of Ghana are chasing another trophy in the West African football Union tournament, but standing in their way are sworn rivals Nigeria, who themselves are determined to be crowned 2017 WAFU champions.
Ghana, the hosts and defending WAFU champions, earned their spot in the final with a 2-0 win over Niger on Thursday: Kwame Kizito and Stephen Safro scored the goals for the Black Stars, who have looked strong contenders throughout the tournament. This will be their second final appearance, having beaten Senegal 3-1 back in 2013.
Nigeria, meanwhile, edged Benin 1-0 in their semifinal. Rabiu Ali scored in the first half for the Super Eagles, who probably should have won the match by a more convincing margin. This will be Nigeria’s third WAFU final appearance: they beat Senegal 2-0 in 2010 to win their first and only title, while their second showing was a 3-2 loss at the hands of Togo in 2011.
Ghana and Nigeria have already met once in this WAFU tournament: the Super Eagles beat the Black Stars 2-0 in the teams’ final Group A match last Monday, though it must be noted that the home side had already guaranteed themselves top spot regardless of the result.
