Defending champions of the Male category of Airtel Rising Star Africa Championships, Niger, this evening underlined their determination to successfully defend the title they won last year in Ghana.

The Nigeriens were simply ruthless, hammering Burkina Faso 3-0 in the opening match of Group B held at the Legacy pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Speaking after the match, Niger’s coach Ide Barkin Hassane said they needed the victory to stamp their authority. “It was imperative for us to win the first game. This victory is very important for confidence. We approached the game as if it was a final. Players applied the instructions and our victory is well deserved,” he said.

Hassane admitted that expectations are very high this year, saying: “Since we won the trophy last year, people expect us to win the tournament again.”

It was double tragedy for the Burkinabes as their girls were crushed 4-0 by a very solid Zambian side, in addition to bagging a red card.

The U-17 Championship is a unique pan-African initiative of Airtel Africa designed to create a pool of talents to feed the national football teams of African countries.

The best players of the tournament will participate in soccer clinics under the supervision of the best coaches of the Manchester United and Arsenal FC soccer schools. The soccer clinics will be held in April 2014 in Lagos (Nigeria) and Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo).

•Photo shows midfield action during the championship.