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Nigeria will face off with Gambia for a place in the final of the under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria have already achieved their primary goal at the ongoing 2023 under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt which was to make it to the semi-finals and automatically qualify for the World Cup.
Ladan Bosso’s men achieved that feat with a 1-0 win against Uganda in the quarter-final clash last Thursday but must now turn their attention to loftier goals.
If Nigeria intends to win this tournament, then they must first qualify for the final by getting past Gambia in the semis which is quite frankly easier said than done.
Nigeria v Gambia preview
Nigeria’s journey in this tournament has been one of clear progression as the Flying Eagles bounced back from opening day defeat to win three consecutive games without conceding.
However, their next opponents have not even had any setbacks to overcome as Gambia’s tournament so far is one of pure dominance and perfection.
The Young Scorpions have won every single game at the 2023 under-20 AFCON all without conceding a single goal and scoring nine times in four matches.
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Gambia have been perfect at this tournament so far
While the Flying Eagles narrowly edged Uganda in their quarter-final win, the Gambians were emphatically ruthless, putting five unreplied goals past the helpless South Sudan.
In that one game, Gambia outscored Nigeria’s entire tournament so far (four goals in four games) which should be a source of worry for head coach Ladan Bosso and an indication that the clean sheet run might be about to end.
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Ladan Bosso’s Flying Eagles will be in Indonesia later this year.
Which of these air-tight defences will cave in first? We will find out at the Cairo International Stadium on Monday, March 6, 2023, with kickoff set at 6 pm Nigerian time.
Nigeria v Gambia head-to-head
These two nations have only crossed paths twice before at this level and it was at this same tournament in 2007 and 2011 with Nigeria emerging victorious on both occasions.
The Flying Eagles beat Gambia 1-0 in the semi-final of the tournament in Congo but went on to lose the final to the host nation.
Nigeria then faced Gambia again four years later in the group stage of the 2011 under-20 AFCON in South Africa and the Flying Eagles emerged 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Larry Kayode and Ramon Azeez.
It is probably a good omen for Nigeria that they went on to win that tournament but it is also important to note that this is a very different Gambian team to the one that finished bottom of Group B in 2011.
Can the Flying Eagles make it a third consecutive win over Gambia or will the Young Scorpions finally sting back this time?
Players to watch
Nigeria’s run at this tournament has largely been a team effort which is further proven by left-back Solomon Agbalaka being the standout Flying Eagle so far.
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Solomon Agbalaka has been Nigeria’s standout player so far
The 19-year-old scored the winning goal against Egypt which proved to be the turning point for Nigeria and has been consistently solid throughout the showpiece in Egypt.
Gambia on the other hand have many stars but none have shone brighter than 18-year-old Adama Bojang whose hattrick against South Sudan makes him the second-highest scorer at this tournament.
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18-year-old Adama Bojang scored a hattrick for Gambia against South Sudan
The Gambians have more than one goal threat though as 20-year-old Alagie Sane has also scored twice in this tournament while no Nigerian player has scored more than once.
What is being said?
As is the norm before big games like this, both coaches are talking tough and sounding confident in their teams’ chances of winning and advancing to the final.
Gambia U20 coach Abdoulie Bojang said, “Nigeria is the only team standing between us and the final. We want to be champions, and that can only happen when we beat a champion. We are a committed team, but we must do everything we can to win and reach the final.”
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Gambia under 20 coach Abdoulie Bojang
While Flying Eagles handler Ladan Bosso had this to say, “We will face a team that has not been defeated in the tournament. The most important thing for us in the tournament is that we qualified for the World Cup. Now we will fight to win the title.”
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Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso
“There are no big or small teams in football because it’s only performance and result that counts,” Bosso continued in his safe approach.
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The Flying Eagles of Nigeria can kill two birds with one stone in the quarter-final clash against Uganda.
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The group stages of the thrilling age-grade competition came to an end on Monday.
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Quarterfinal matches would hold on Thursday, March 2 and Friday, March 3.
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The quarterfinals will see Senegal will play the third-placed team in Group C, next Thursday, and Nigeria play Group B’s runners-up, next Friday.
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Having finished second in Group A after a defeat and two wins, the Flying Eagles would in the next week’s quarterfinal, face Group B’s runner-up.
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Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso has gotten a lot of criticism lately but his detractors are focusing on the wrong things
South Sudan recorded a historic 1-0 win over the Central African Republic on Thursday, with Paul Mara’s first-half penalty sealing the win for the Bright Stars to brighten their chances of progressing.
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Having finished second in Group A, the Flying Eagles would face one of Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the quarterfinal.
