Sports
AFCON U-20: Flying Eagles edges Egypt by lone goal
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria weathered the early Pharaoh’s storm to emerge victorious.
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria defeated the Junior Pharaohs of Egypt 1-0 in their Group A matchup at the Africa Under-20 Nations Cup (AFCON).
In the second group encounter between the two winless teams, a bullet header by the Nigerian squad gave them the necessary victory and the first point of the tournament over the home team.
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On minute 71, Agbalaka struck the decisive blow when he reached his highest position to plant Mohammed Aminu’s header into the net.
The hosts were held to a goalless draw by Mozambique in the tournament opener and now sit in third place with a solitary point ahead of Saturday’s must-win match against high-flying Senegal.
At Cairo International, Mahmoud Gaber’s squad got off to a strong start thanks to the encouragement of their home crowd. During the opening exchanges of the Group A match, Rafaat Khalid was a shining example for the Egyptians down the left channel.
Inside the first 13 minutes, the quick winger missed the Flying Eagles’ goal with a shot, while the hosts’ Bilal Abdelraham Zeeni then hit the post with a header.
Nigeria withstood the early Pharaoh’s storm and, because to Ibrahim Muhammad’s ferocious effort, came within one minute of winning the match.
Rafaat Khalid found space on the right flank cutting into the box before firing over Chijioke Aniagboso’s goal.
The second half was more open as both sides pushed more men forward to try and get the breakthrough.
The Flying Eagles stunned the Cairo International Stadium with a spectacular Solomon Agbalaka header to beat Mostafa Makhlouf in the Egyptian goal.
In an effort to score an equalizer, the hosts sent more players forward, but the Flying Eagles held on to earn their first points of the competition while Egypt lamented their missed opportunities.
Solomon Agbalaka’s thunderous header in the second group game between the two winless teams was sufficient to secure a victory and give Nigeria its first points of the competition.
