The ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) U-20 tournament in Egypt has been characterised by a lot of twists and turns, with only four teams now left in contention for the ultimate prize.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been among those making waves with their impressive performances. After a series of hard-fought victories, the team is now set to face Gambia in one of the semi-final contests of the tournament.
Senegal and the only Northern African team still in the running, Tunisia will square up in the other semi-final.
Road to semi-final
The Flying Eagles’ journey to the semi-finals has been a challenging one, but the team has shown great determination and tenacity throughout the tournament.
They started the tournament on a shaky note as they lost 1-0 to Senegal. They, however, followed up with impressive wins against hosts, Egypt, in their second match before rounding off the Group stage with another victory over Mozambique
In the quarter-finals, Nigeria faced a tough challenge in Uganda, but they found a way past the East Africans with a lone-goal victory.
Having achieved their first mission of qualifying for the World Cup, the Flying Eagles will now divert their energies to winning a record-extending eighth African title.
To advance to the finals, the Nigeria U20s must first get past the Gambia in the semi-final, which would be a tremendous challenge given the Young Scorpions’ incredible performance in Egypt.
READ ALSO: AFCON U-20: Nigeria’s Flying Eagles beat Uganda to World Cup ticket
While Nigeria barely squeezed past Uganda in their own quarter-final tie, Adama Bojang scored a hat-trick for Gambia, as the West Africans romped to an emphatic 5-0 victory over South Sudan to seal their spot in the semis.
The Gambia and Senegal are the only teams to win all their matches without conceding a goal.
The AFCON U-20 tournament is an important platform for young African footballers to showcase their talents and gain valuable experience.
Many players who have featured in the tournament in the past have gone on to have successful careers in football, both on the continent and internationally.
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