Julius OkorieAfter failing in their bid to win their 8th U-20 AFCON title, the Flying Eagles will aim to be third place finishers as the curtain falls on the competition Sunday (today) in Egypt.
The Aliyu Zubairu tutored side, who had their dream shattered on Thursday, no thanks to a lone goal defeat by Amajitas of South Africa, in the semi-finals, will however need to overcome hosts and four-time champions Egypt to achieve new set target of finishing third.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelEgypt also suffered the same fate like Nigeria in the semis, losing by the same margin to Morocco. Thus, the third place match will be a clash between seven-time winners and four-time winners, an indication that the match will be a test of wits.
Both continental powerhouses fell short in their respective semi-final clashes and must now settle for the bronze medal contest at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium in Cairo.
This will be the fifth third place match Nigeria will be playing in this competition, having previously claimed bronze on four occasions; viz 1995, 2009, 2013 and 2023.
Egypt, on the other hand are appearing in their fourth third-place playoff, having also secured bronze three times previously viz; 1993, 2001 and 2011.
The clash is a repeat of battle of Cotonou in the 2005 final that saw Nigeria emerge champions courtesy of a brace by Isaac Promise.
Both sides equally clashed in the group stage two years ago and Nigeria again claimed victory, thanks to Solomon Agbalaka’s first-half header.
READ ALSO:2025 U-20 AFCON: Flying Eagles’ Rating In Match Against South Africa
Zubairu and his lads will be hoping to re-enact this back to back triumph over junior Pharaohs who may be coming out in full force backed by vociferous home supporters in today’s clash.
Although first-choice goalkeeper, Ebenezer Harcourt, who has been under medical observation is a doubt for today’s match, the team nonetheless remains good to go.
Captain, Daniel Bameyi, is expected to anchor the defensive line alongside Odinaka Okoro, Adamu Maigari and Emmanuel Chukwu as the likely rearguard options.
In the midfield, Israel Ayuma has enjoyed an impressive tournament and is likely to retain his starting berth, with two from Sulyman Alabi, Simon Cletus, Divine Oliseh and Auwal Ibrahim supporting.
In the attack, Zubairu has multiple options with Clinton Jephta, Kparobo Arierhi, Tahir Maigana, Bidemi Amole, Precious Benjamin and Mendos Rickson all available for selection in the forward line.
Meanwhile, South Africa who are gunning for their first title in this competition, will be hoping to play their heart out when they face Morocco in today’s final that will follow after the third place match.
It will be a rematch of 1997 final that saw Morocco, enjoy the final laugh at the expense of the boys from the Rainbow nation.
Only eleven countries have won the championship since inception and South Africa are eager to hit that list to rub shoulders with countries that have won the tournament at least once.
The good thing about the final matches today is that all the four teams have the World Cup tickets in their kitty and will be flying the African flag at the FIFA U-20 World Cup later this year in Chile.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
