A first-half
strike by Auwal Ibrahim off an inch-perfect pass from Odinaka Okoro was the
difference as Nigeria maintained their dominance over Tunisia in youth football
at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Thursday.
The Flying Eagles
played with confidence against the aggressive North Africans, and Ibrahim’s
goal was well-deserved after Nigeria dominated in the first period.
The seven-time
champions thought they had secured a penalty kick in the 72nd minute
to increase their lead, after Mendos Richson was shoved to the floor, but the
Video Assistant Referee ruled otherwise.
Goalkeeper Ifeanyi
Harcourt came up with a big save three minutes to the end, denying Tunisian
forward Ben Ali from close range, and the game ended with the Nigerians on the
high and looking forward to their clash with Morocco’s Lion Cubs at the same
venue on Sunday evening.
Victory meant a
fourth victory for Nigeria in six clashes with the Tunisians at U20 level,
going back to 1981 when the Flying Eagles defeated their visitors 4-0 in a
qualifying fixture for the FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia. They
lost the return leg 1-4 in Tunis but qualified for the final round.
In 1985, both
teams played a 1-1 draw in Tunis in the title fixture of the African U20
competition, but the Flying Eagles won the return 2-1 in Lagos to collect their
second continental title.
Two years ago, in
the third-place match of the Africa U20 Cup of Nations also held in Egypt,
Nigeria mauled Tunisia 4-0 to pick up the bronze medals.
PHOTO: Goal!
Auwal Ibrahim races away after scoring the lone goal that earned the three
points against Tunisia.
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