May 07, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Under-17 football team staged a remarkable fightback to beat South Africa 3-2 in Constantine, Algeria, on Saturday night, earning their spot in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Abubakar Abdullahi scored the winning goal for the Golden Eaglets, who came from behind twice to secure maximum points and finish second in Group B, behind group winners, Morocco.
The Amajimbos had a brilliant start, with Vicky Mkhawana scoring the opening goal in the sixth minute after Waylon Renecke’s header from Gabriel Amato’s corner came off the post. The early setback aside, Nigeria dominated the game and constantly camped in South Africa’s half, forcing them to defend deep as they sought an equaliser.
The pressure paid off in the 33rd minute when Charles Agada equalised with a header. Siyabonga Mabena put South Africa ahead in the second minute of added time, but Nigeria drew level once again just seconds into the second half before securing the win with Abdullahi’s goal in the 65th minute.
South Africa, who are third in the group with three points, will anxiously await results from Group C on Sunday to see if they can make it to the last eight as one of the two best third-placed teams. The Golden Eaglets will next meet the second-placed Group C team in the next stage.
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.
