By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U20 national team, the Flying Eagles, began their preparations for the upcoming Africa U20 Cup of Nations with a morale-boosting 2–1 victory over Egypt in a friendly match at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday.
The young Nigerians took the lead in the first half through Kparobo Arierhi, who opened the scoring to set the tone for an energetic and competitive encounter.
Despite a spirited fightback by Egypt’s Young Pharaohs, Nigeria regained control late in the game when Precious Benjamin netted the winning goal in the 83rd minute.
The victory marks a strong start for the seven-time African champions as they fine-tune their squad ahead of the U20 AFCON, scheduled to run from April 27 to May 18 in Egypt.
Nigeria has been drawn into Group B alongside Tunisia, Kenya, and Morocco.
The Flying Eagles will open their campaign against Tunisia at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Thursday, May 1.
With this win, the Flying Eagles have not only gained a confidence boost but also sent a signal of intent as they aim for an eighth continental title.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
