The Flying Eagles of Nigeria defeated Tunisia 1-0 in their opening game of the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations courtesy of a strike from Auwal Ibrahim, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria locked horns with Tunisia at the June 30 Stadium in Cairo for a chance to grab the first three points in Group B of the Under-20 AFCON. Going into the game, coach Aliyu named a strong lineup that had young stars like Kparobo Arierhi, Bidemi Amole, and captain Daniel Bameyi.
The opening 15 minutes were difficult for Nigeria, as Tunisia dominated the game, searching for the opener. The Junior Carthage Eagles got some early opportunities, but they lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
Zubairu's lads eventually grew into the game, holding the ball better in the middle of the park, and playing nice combination passes.
Bameyi looked very solid at the back and was constantly in the ears of his teammates, directing play. He also looked very good on the ball, sending some nice long balls into Tunisia's half to aid the attack. It was one of those balls that led the Nigeria's goal.
In the 38th minute, the Flying Eagles skipper sent a long pass to Odinaka who was lurking on the left side of the attack. The fullback controlled the ball, waited for the runs of his teammates, and played a nice pass to find Ibrahim who used his first touch to push the ball past the Tunisian defenders, got in a good position, and placed a fine finish past the Junior Carthage Eagles' goalkeeper.
Nigeria got another brilliant opportunity just two minutes later after Arierhi got into a good shooting position after a run from midfield. However, his strike was just pushed away by the Tunisian goalkeeper.
Aliyu Zubairu's lads started the second half well, but they failed to add to their tally. Tunisia also had some opportunities to score late in the game, but Nigeria's goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt was up to the task, as made a couple of fine saves to ensure that the Flying Eagles ran out with the 1-0 win.
U-20 AFCON: Nigeria vs Tunisia highlights
Les Flying Eagles ouvrent le score face aux la Tunisie !
NIGERIA 1-0 Tunisie #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20pic.twitter.com/eghhK6j7aS
— Naija Football (@NaijaFootball_) May 1, 2025
