Flying Eagles edge Young Pharaohs 1-0 to revive AFCON hope

The Flying Eagles yesterday bounced back from their opening day loss to defeat hosts Egypt 1-0 in their second match of group A at the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. The seven-time winners of the competition began the tournament on a shaky note losing 1-0 to Senegal last Sunday while the Young Pharaohs battled […]

The Flying Eagles yesterday bounced back from their opening day loss to defeat hosts Egypt 1-0 in their second match of group A at the ongoing U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The seven-time winners of the competition began the tournament on a shaky note losing 1-0 to Senegal last Sunday while the Young Pharaohs battled to a 0-0 draw with Mozambique in the other group match,

Coach Ladan Bosso who was without the services of injured Daniel Daga and forward Ahmed Abdullah had prior to the game said his team will learn from Argentina who won the World Cup after losing their first game to Saudi Arabia.

After a feisty first half which ended in a barren draw, Flying Eagles enterprising defender Solomon Agbalaka broke the deadlock in the 71st minute with a powerful header from a well taken corner kick.

The hosts fought back to find an equalizer but the Flying Eagles stood firm to revive their campaign with the crucial win.

Meanwhile, Senegal became the first team to qualify for the quarterfinal from Group A after they dumped Mozambique 3-0 in their second match.

Pape Diallo scored twice for Senegal while Pape Diop got the other goal.

The Flying Eagles who are now second on the table with three points will battle Mozambique in the last group match on Saturday.

Nigeria will have to beat Mozambique in their final group match to stand a chance of reaching the quarter-finals.