Izuchukwu Okosi
Nigeria’s U-23 national men’s team will play the winner between Uganda and Guinea in the next round of qualifiers to the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt next month after defeating Tanzania 2-0 on Saturday evening in the reverse leg of their third round qualifiers that will also take them to the Olympic.
The Nigerian side had picked up a 1-1 draw when they first played against Tanzania in Dar es Salam in the first leg last weekend.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe first half was a difficult phase for both teams as the defensive solidity of both sides ensured it finished scoreless in the first half.
Timileyin Ogunniyi, however, broke the deadlock in the 61st minute of play when his free kick from range had the ball nestle at the top right corner of the Tanzanian net.
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The team’s captain, Success Makanjuola, then doubled the lead three minutes after the opener when he calmly slotted past goalkeeper Aboutwaaley Mshery whom the ball deflected off his arm and went into the net.
The Eagles, coached by Salisu Yusuf, have thus reached the next qualifying stage ahead of the tournament.
The team were boosted by the financial pledge made to them by the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who promised the team N10 million and a further sum of $25,000 should the team win on Saturday.
These monies are in addition to the N1m the team will now pocket after Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa promised them N500, 000 for every goal they scored against Tanzania.
The 2022 U-23 AFCON serves as qualifiers to the football event of the 2024 Olympic in Paris.
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.
