Izuchukwu Okosi
Nigeria men’s U-20 national team on Friday night failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 13th African Games in Ghana as they suffered a 3-2 defeat against the Young Terra Lions of Senegal at the Accra Sports Complex, reports Prime Business Africa.
The Flying Eagles needed to beat defending champions of the football event of the Games Senegal to stand a chance of Uganda being eliminated at the football tournament of the Games.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelUganda however had the luck of the green and will now be in the ‘last four’ with Senegal while Nigeria and South Sudan are out of the Games.
Forward Charles Agada who came off the substitute bench in the team’s previous game against South Sudan was reinstated in the starting lineup ane he got the Nigerians ahead in the second minute.
Idrissa Gueye however drew Senegal level 20 minutes later and just six minutes after that, doubled the lead for the Young Lions of Teranga.
Flying Eagles creative midifelder Chibueze Izuogu made it 2-2 for Nigeria with 50 minutes on the clock but a third Senegal goal in the 65th minute proved to be unsourmoutable for the Nigerian side.
Senegal were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages of the match but they held on to scrape through and qualify for the semifinals.
Nigeria have reached the podium places in the football tournament of the African Games finishing in the top three places a record seven times albeit the last time they won the gold was in 1973.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
