Izuchukwu OkosiSeven-time U-20 African champions, Nigeria, on Thursday evening defeated Uganda 1-0 to reach the semifinals of the 2023 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The Eagles coached by Ladan Bosso had started the tournament which serves as qualifiers to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia on a shaky note when they lost 1-0 to Senegal.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe team however rallied back and defeated hosts, Egypt in their second Group A game and also against Madagascar to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals stage.
The only goal of the match came in the 30th minute when Ugandan defender, Ibrahim Juma, inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net when Nigeria’s Ibrahim Mohammad had his fierce shot come off the foot of the post.
The Nigerian side dictated the tempo of the game and had other chances to double their advantage but the forwards’ proligacy in front of goal ensured that it stayed at 1-0 after full time.
Nigeria will play the winner of South Sudan versus The Gambia clash on Friday evening.
In the other section of the semifinal game on Friday, Tunisia will face tournament favourites, Senegal.
The four semifinalists will represent Africa at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia between May 20 and June 11.
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.
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