U20 AFCON: Auwal Ibrahim named Man of the Match as Flying Eagles defeat Tunisia

By Wale Mustapha

Nigeria’s Auwal Ibrahim was named Man of the Match after scoring the decisive goal in the Flying Eagles’ 1–0 victory over Tunisia in their opening Group B fixture at the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) presented the award to Ibrahim following his standout performance on Friday, as Nigeria began their campaign with a hard-fought win over the young Carthage Eagles at the June 30 Stadium in Cairo.

Ibrahim found the back of the net in the 38th minute, netting the only goal of the match to give Nigeria an early edge in the tournament.

It was a breakthrough moment for the young forward, who had not featured in last year’s WAFU B U-20 Championship in Lomé, Togo.

He was later substituted in stoppage time by Olalekan Alabi after a strong showing that underlined his value to the squad.

The Flying Eagles, seven-time U20 AFCON champions, will face Morocco next in their second group-stage match on Sunday.