Benin shocked favourites Cote d’Ivoire by defeating them 1-0 to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 WAFU B U20 Championship in Niamey on Friday.
The victory at the Municipal Stadium in Niamey also ensured that the Baby Squirrels overtook their opponents to finish top of Group A with seven points.
The Ivorians finished in second place with six points following the surprise defeat to the determined Benin side.
Hosts Niger crashed out of the tournament despite defeating Togo 1-0 at the Seyni Kountche Stadium after securing four points to finish third.
The final group matches were played simultaneously and Benin did just enough to advance to the last four thanks to a strike by Bachirou Assolohan in the first half.
The Baby Squirrels needed a victory in their match and showed desire at the start of the game by piling pressure on the Ivorians.
They remained compact until the 34th when they took advantage of an Ivorian defensive error to open the scoring thanks to Assolohan. The Ivorians tried to respond after the break but the Benin defenders were resolute.
The result means the Ivorians recorded their first defeat consigning them to the second place in the group, having led the standings after the first two matches in the group.
The Ivorians thus recorded their first defeat of the tournament.
Benin captain Tamimou Ouorou was named Man of the Match.
Niger beat Togo 1-0 and settled for third place in the group with four points ahead of the Junior Hawks who finished bottom of the group with zero points.