Chijioke Gabriel
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria secured third place at the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025 with a dramatic 4-1 victory in a penalty shootout against tournament hosts Egypt on Sunday.
The third-place clash, held at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, ended 1-1 after regulation time. With no extra time in the playoff fixture, the match was decided on penalties, where the Flying Eagles showed composure to claim their fifth bronze medal in U-20 AFCON history.
Both teams were eager to finish the tournament on a high note after falling short of a place in the final. Egypt got off to a blistering start, taking the lead just three minutes in when Osama Omar pounced on a cut-back from Mahmoud Labib to fire home from close range.
Despite the early setback, Nigeria found their rhythm and began dominating possession. They created several opportunities, with Clinton Jephta and Precious Benjamin forcing saves from Egyptian goalkeeper Abdel Monem Tamer, while Israel Ayuma’s long-range efforts narrowly missed the target.
Nigeria’s persistence paid off shortly after the break. A well-weighted through ball from Divine Oliseh sliced open Egypt’s defense and found Bidemi Amole, who calmly slotted in the equaliser in the 47th minute.
The Flying Eagles continued to press for a winner, injecting fresh energy with the introduction of Tahir Maigana and Kparobo Arierhi. Egypt, however, nearly snatched victory in added time, with Mohamed El Sayed rattling the crossbar and Mohamed Haitham striking the post in a tense finale.
With the scoreline unchanged after 90 minutes, the match headed straight to penalties. Nigeria were flawless from the spot, converting all four of their kicks through Emmanuel Chukwu, Ayuma, Arierhi, and Maigana.
Egypt faltered under pressure, with Mohamed Atef and Ahmed Kabaka both denied by Nigeria’s 15-year-old goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt, who delivered a heroic performance beyond his years.
The victory not only secured Nigeria’s 14th podium finish in U-20 AFCON history but also extended their strong record against host nations in the tournament, having beaten Egypt on home soil for the second consecutive edition.
