The Flying Eagles will today begin their campaign to win a title they last won 10 years ago when they meet Tunisia in the opening game of the 2025 African U-20 Nations Cup.
The game at the 30 June Stadium, Cairo, is Group B’s opening game at the championship, which is being hosted by Egypt for the second time in a row.
The last time Nigeria won the competition was in 2015 when they defeated the home side, Senegal. Since then, Nigeria have a solitary bronze medal won at the last edition in Egypt to show for their efforts.
Forty years ago, the boys from Carthage were the victims as the Flying Eagles won the second of their seven African titles, in the era when the winner was decided over two legs.
With both teams already qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship (now FIFA U-20 World Cup) finals in then USSR, Nigeria forced a 1-1 draw with their hosts in Tunis, and then won a close-fought return leg 2-1 at the National Stadium, Surulere.
Two years ago, the Carthage Eagles again bowed to the Eagles from West Africa in the third-place match of the U-20 AFCON, also hosted by Egypt. It ended 4-0 against the North Africans.
Nigeria’s Head Coach, Aliyu Zubairu, and his charges understand that they must take it one match at a time as they aspire for glory, with Cup holders Senegal (who head Group C), hosts Egypt (who head Group A) and four-time winners Ghana (in Group C) also in the hunt for honours.
Four-time champions, Egypt (winners in 1981, 1991, 2003 and 2013), already pocketed three points from their opening match against South Africa, on Sunday, while Zambia and Sierra Leone fought themselves to a scoreless draw.
Ghana have their work cut out in Group C, where they must negotiate survival with title-holders, Senegal, a Central African Republic side that eliminated Cameroon, and the nifty Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nigeria must beware of the host nation, even though the Flying Eagles pipped the Egyptians 1-0 in a group phase match in Cairo two years ago. The only final matches Nigeria have lost since the competition transformed from home-and-away format to a tournament were against host nations – against Ghana, in Accra, in 1999, and against Congo in Brazzaville eight years later.
After today’s shootout with the Junior Carthage Eagles, the seven-time champions will be up against 1997 hosts and winners, Morocco, also at the 30 June Stadium.
Zubairu is excited that his boys are riding on immense psychological wavelengths after a 2-1 defeat of host nation Egypt in a friendly match at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday last week– barely 48 hours after the delegation landed in Cairo.
“That result has provided a good impetus for us as we prepare to face the Tunisians – another North African opposition. You need a result like that when you’re preparing for a competition like this. It does not mean that we will rest on our oars; it only serves to give us much-needed confidence and help us to face our challenges better.
“We will go for the maximum points against the Tunisians and then take it one step at a time as we forge ahead.”
Kparobo Arierhi, who scored three goals at the WAFU B U-20 Championship and netted the first goal against Egypt, Germany-based Precious Benjamin, and home-boys Clinton Jephta and Divine Oliseh are the key foremen that Zubairu will be hoping to deliver against every opposition.
Tunisia did not originally qualify for these finals but sneaked through after original hosts Cote d’Ivoire pulled the rug on the Confederation of African Football with only weeks to the opening match.
All four semifinalists at the tournament will qualify to fly Africa’s flag at this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Chile, from September 27 to October 19.
