February 26, (THEWILL) – In a thrilling encounter at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, the Flying Eagles of Nigeria secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies 2023 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations by beating Mozambique 2-0 on Saturday night.
Ladan Bosso’s charges put up a dominant performance, scoring two sumptuous goals in the first half through Samson Lawal and Ibrahim Muhammad, to clinch second place in Group A. The Flying Eagles controlled the match from the beginning, dominating possession and creating several chances, as they piled the pressure on Mozambique.
Samson Lawal scored the game’s first goal in the 32nd minute with an incredible long-range effort that Mozambican Kimiss Zavala could do nothing about. Four minutes before halftime, Ibrahim Muhammad’s spectacular outside-the-area goal gave the Flying Eagles a comfortable two-goal lead.
The second half was more evenly contested, with Nigeria ringing in changes to give playing time to other squad members, and Mozambique trying to play on the break. The Young Os Mambas’ only real chance came late through a substitute, Jose Rabelina Zavala.
The seven-time tournament winners easily qualified for the knockout rounds with six points, while Senegal finished first in the group after defeating Egypt 4-0. Nigeria therefore will join Senegal in the quarter-finals of the U-20 AFCON, while Egypt and Mozambique crash out.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
