JUST IN: Nigeria Flying Eagles Finish Third In 2025 U-20 AFCON After Beating Egypt
The Genius Media Nigeria reports that The Flying Eagles of Nigeria have secured a third-place finish at the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025.
The Flying Eagles recorded a 4-1 win in a penalty shootout against the tournament hosts, Egypt, on Sunday, May 18.
The third-place match, held at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, was evenly contested, ending 1-1 after regular time.
With no extra time in this playoff fixture, the outcome was determined by penalties, where the Flying Eagles displayed remarkable composure, earning their fifth bronze medal in U-20 AFCON history.
Both teams entered the match keen to end the tournament positively after narrowly missing a chance to compete in the final.
Egypt started the game strongly, taking an early lead just three minutes in. Osama Omar capitalised on a cut-back from Mahmoud Labib, scoring from close range.
However, Nigeria quickly found their footing and began to dominate possession. They created numerous scoring opportunities, with Clinton Jephta and Precious Benjamin testing Egyptian goalkeeper Abdel Monem Tamer, while Israel Ayuma came close with several long-range attempts.
Nigeria’s determination paid off early in the second half. A perfectly timed through ball from Divine Oliseh pierced through Egypt’s defence, allowing Bidemi Amole to skillfully slot in the equaliser in the 47th minute.
The Flying Eagles pressed on in search of a winner and introduced fresh legs with players like Tahir Maigana and Kparobo Arierhi.
Egypt nearly reclaimed the lead in the dying moments of the match, with Mohamed El Sayed hitting the crossbar and Mohamed Haitham striking the post, intensifying the excitement.
With the score remaining deadlocked at the end of 90 minutes, the game proceeded directly to penalties. Nigeria executed their kicks flawlessly, with Emmanuel Chukwu, Ayuma, Arierhi, and Maigana all converting confidently.
On the other hand, Egypt faced pressure during the shootout, with Nigeria’s 15-year-old goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt making two crucial saves against Mohamed Atef and Ahmed Kabaka.
