Nigeria advanced to the quarter-finals of the ongoing CAF U20 Championship in Egypt after securing a 2-2 draw against Kenya’s Rising Stars in their final Group B match on Wednesday.
The result saw the Flying Eagles finish second in the group with five points, trailing leaders Morocco by two. Morocco sealed top spot with a 3-1 win over Tunisia and will remain in Cairo for their quarter-final clash against the runners-up of Group A, which includes hosts Egypt, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Tanzania.
Seven-time champions Nigeria, meanwhile, will travel to Ismailia for their quarter-final match on Monday, where they will face the second-placed team from Group C — a competitive pool featuring defending champions Senegal, arch-rivals Ghana, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kenya’s Rising Stars made the game difficult for the Flying Eagles, as the wards of Aliyu Zubairu had to come from behind twice to salvage the encounter.
Kevin Wangaya put the Rising Stars ahead after only five minutes, scoring from the penalty spot after a Nigerian defender stopped the ball with his hand in the box.
Nigeria restored parity seven minutes later, after Kparobo Arierhi waltzed his way through the defence to place the ball firmly beyond the reach of the opposition goal-tender.
The East Africans were back in front in the 68th minute, as the Flying Eagles’ rear-guard ball-watched a free kick from the left and allowed William to blast the ball past goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt from Lawrence’s in-swinger.
Five minutes later, Nigeria were level again, with captain Daniel Bameyi sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot after substitute Mendos Rickson was upended in the box.
The Flying Eagles’ match on Monday will be the first quarter-final, starting at 3pm Egypt time (1pm Nigeria time) in Ismailia.
