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Tag: AFCON U 20

  • Egypt 2023: Bosso confident Flying Eagles will beat Uganda to grab World Cup ticket

    Egypt 2023: Bosso confident Flying Eagles will beat Uganda to grab World Cup ticket

    Coach Isah Ladan Bosso believes he has the men to push Uganda’s Hippos off the way in their Africa U20 Cup of Nations quarter-final duel on Thursday and reach the FIFA U20 World Cup finals scheduled for Indonesia, 20th May – 11th June.

    Both teams clash at the 22,000 -capacity Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia as from 7pm Egypt time (6pm Nigeria time) on Thursday, and the Flying Eagles’ tactician says that while he does not underrate the Hippos, he trusts his charges to make Nigeria proud and reach the tournament’s last four.

    “Before we left our training camp in Morocco, the NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau told us clearly that the first objective should be getting a ticket to the FIFA World Cup. We are at that most important stage now and we cannot afford to falter.

    “We are aware that Nigerians are looking up to us to deliver. While our mission remains bagging the World Cup ticket, we are also eyeing the trophy, which is still a number of matches away. For the moment, we have Uganda in our view and we are working hard to see that we control proceedings on Thursday.”

    Two-time silver medallists and one-time bronze medallists Nigeria are seeking to make another appearance at the FIFA U20 World Cup finals. They finished in third place when the tournament was staged in then USSR in 1985, beating the host nation on penalty shoot-out in the bronze medal match. Four years later, in Saudi Arabia, the Flying Eagles lost 0-2 to Portugal in a classic Final in Riyadh. And in 2005, Lionel Messi and Argentina were 2-1 winners in the Final match in The Netherlands.

    The Hippos of Uganda finished top of their Group B which also included Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. They defeated Central African Republic 2-1, and drew 2-2 and 0-0 with Congo and South Sudan respectively. It took a drawing of lots by the Confederation of African Football to separate Uganda and Congo and determine the winner of Group B, as both teams finished with the same statistics.

    Meanwhile, the Flying Eagles will be without the services of team captain Daniel Bameyi due to accumulation of two yellow cards. The defender was cautioned twice in the group games against Senegal and Mozambique.

    In the other quarter-final games, nine-pointer The Gambia will take on fresh birds South Sudan, who shocked Central African Republic 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Uganda to finish in third place in Group B with four points. Their only defeat was a 1-2 reverse against Congo. The match will hold at the Haras El-Hedood Stadium in Alexandria on Friday.

    On Thursday, before the Flying Eagles take on Uganda in Ismailia, Group A winners Senegal will tango with Benin Republic at the Cairo International Stadium. The Young Cheetahs finished in third place in Group C with only two points having drawn with Zambia and Tunisia, but unlucky to concede an own goal two minutes to the end of their encounter with group winners The Gambia on Monday.

    The last quarter-final duel is between Congo and Tunisia, at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday evening. The North Africans pulled their weight to defeat Zambia 2-1 on Monday, after having lost 0-1 to The Gambia and drawing 0-0 with Benin Republic earlier in Group C.

    All four winners will advance to the semi-finals of the competition, but more importantly, qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Indonesia.

  • Egypt 2023: Senegal beat Flying Eagles 1-0 to top group A

    Egypt 2023: Senegal beat Flying Eagles 1-0 to top group A

    The Flying Eagles of Nigeria started their campaign in the 2023 U-20 AFCON tourney on a shaky note after losing to the young Teranga Lions of Senegal by 1-0 in the match day one-second group A game at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt on Sunday evening.

    Ladan Bosso’s side had chances to open scoring early in the encounter but failed to take them. Senegal soon settled into the game and later scored a well-deserved goal in the 40th minute courtesy of CF Talavera striker, Souleymane Faye’s goal.

    Unfortunately, as the match progressed, the Nigerian side lost dazzling Midfielder, Daniel Daga to injury which may rule him out of the championship.

    On resumption of the second half of the game, Flying Eagles continued to mount pressure on their opponents but poor finishing by their strikers, Adams Olalekan, Rilwanu Sarki and Ibrahim Beji Mohammed denied them.

    While pushing for an equaliser, the Nigerians were reduced to 10 men with Ahmed Abdullahi’s sending off in the closing stages of the match.

    Libasse Ngom almost made it 2-0 for Senegal when he rounded Nwosu but his eventual shot came off the crossbar as two defenders frantically ran onto the goal line to clear the ball.

    Nigeria’s first shot on target came in the 88th minute from a long-range shot fired by Onuche Ogbelu but comfortably saved by Landing Badji.

    Senegal top group A with 3 points , while Egypt and Mozambique occupy the second and third position respectively after both teams played out a goaless draw in the competition’s opening game.

    The Nigerian U-20 side presently occupy the bottom of the log but still have a date with Egypt on Wednesday in the second game of group A.

     

     

  • Egypt 2023: Gusau charges Flying Eagles to go for FIFA World Cup ticket

    Egypt 2023: Gusau charges Flying Eagles to go for FIFA World Cup ticket

    President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has assured the Flying Eagles of all necessary support and attention from the football-ruling body as the team continues its build-up to the Africa U20 Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.

    The NFF President gave the assurance on Sunday evening while visiting the Flying Eagles at their training tour base, Hotel Novotel in Mohammedia, Morocco shortly after the team’s 2-1 victory over their Congolese counterparts in a friendly at the Complexe Sportif Sidi Mohammed.

    “Let me use this opportunity to congratulate you all for emerging victorious against the Congolese team. It was a well-deserved victory because you played well. I believe there are a lot of good players here that will make the generality of Nigerians proud.

    “The NFF under my leadership is working assiduously to ensure that you get all the support necessary for you to excel and that’s why I directed the secretariat to settle all your camping allowances which was done before your departure. I assure you that we are now working on how to motivate you in an extra way when you get to Cairo. All you have to do is go out there and make Nigerians proud.

    “Getting to the semi-finals is paramount because that guarantees us a place in the FIFA U20 World Cup in Indonesia; so I urge you to seal that ticket and then get to the final and win the trophy.”

    Responding on behalf of the team, Captain Daniel Bameyi thanked the President for the visit while reassuring him the players are battle-ready for the task ahead, and will do the needful by ensuring the team not only wins a World Cup ticket but goes all out for the trophy.

    The Flying Eagles are expected to play U20 boys of Central African Republic on Wednesday before the team’s departure to Cairo on Thursday.

    Against the Congolese, Nigeria dominated for large swathes of the first period but fell behind when Solomon Oniangue scored for the boys from Brazzaville in the 21st minute. Haliru Sarki, Francis Ayuba and Mohammed Ibrahim all missed good opportunities to draw the Flying Eagles level.

    However, Emmanuel Uchegbu and Adams Olamilekan turned the game around for Nigeria with goals in the 66th and 74th minute to maintain the unbeaten run of this set of Flying Eagles in all matches and competitions.

  • U-20 AFCON: Flying Eagles to begin training on grass pitch

    U-20 AFCON: Flying Eagles to begin training on grass pitch

    Ahead of the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations the Flying Eagles of Nigeria is set to begin training at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, practice section on Monday.

    Before now, the team has been practicing on the Astroturf pitch of the FIFA Gold Project facilities since they set up camp in the Federal Capital Territory last year but will now change to the grass pitch of Moshood Abiola Stadium,

    Matches at the 2023 U-20 AFCON will be played on natural grass pitch hence the need to change the team’s training venue.

    It will also allow the Golden Eaglets to have full access to the Goal Project pitch as they resume training tomorrow morning.

    The seven-time African champions will face Zambia in a double header friendly on January 27 and 30.

    The two matches will be played at the Moshood Abiola Stadium.

    The Flying Eagles has been grouped in A al;ongside  hosts Egypt, Mozambique and Senegal in at the competition.

  • All qualifiers for AFCON U 20 “Mauritania 2021” announced

    Twelve countries that will play the next Africa Cup of Nations Under-20 football tournament, “Mauritania 2021”, were announced at the weekend.

    In addition to the host country, Gambia will represent Zone A of the Union of West African Football Associations (WAFU A). WAFU will count on Burkina Faso and Ghana, the COSAFA Zone will be represented by Namibia and Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda will defend the chances of the CECAFA zone.

    Cameroon and Central African Republic will wear the colours of the UNIFAC zone and the UNAF will be represented by Morocco and Tunisia.

    These different teams qualified at the end of zonal tournaments that took place recently in different parts of Africa.

    The final phase of the AFCON U-20 will take place from February 14 to March 4, 2021, in Mauritania (Nouakchott and Nouadhibou).