The Flying Eagles of Nigeria on Wednesday secured its first win of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations ( AFCON) after beating host Egypt 1-0 in the second group A game of the tourney.
After many unsuccessful attempts at breaking the deadlock, Solomon Agbalaka’s bullet header in the 71st minute was enough for the Flying Eagles against the hosts as they boosted their chance of qualifying for the knockouts stage.
The Nigerian side started the tournament on a shaky note when they lost 1-0 to the Junior Teranga Lions of Senegal on Sunday.
However, the win against host Egypt is a morale booster for the Ladan Bosso’s lad who still have the Mozambique hurdle to cross on Saturday to book a quarter-final ticket.
The victory meant Flying Eagles are now occupying the second position on the log with just three points behind Senegal with six points.
Egypt, the host nation is on third position with a point from two games, same as Mozambique that lies at the bottom with an inferior goals deficit.
Group A toppers Senegal have already booked a place in the quarter-final of the tourney with their 3-0 annihilations of Mozambique on Wednesday at the Cairo International Stadium.
Pape Diallo was the star of the match with his brace while his namesake Pape Diop contributed a goal to the emphatic victory.
The tournament serves as qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 World Cup holding in the Asian country of Indonesia in May.
All four teams that make it to the quarter-final of the tournament will automatically qualify to represent Africa in Indonesia 2023 FIFA World Cup.