U20 Afcon friendly: Nigeria outshine Zambia in six-goal thriller

By Saheed Afolabi

Nigeria U20 men side stepped up their preparations for the 2023 U20 Africa Cup of Nations following a 4-2 victory over spirited Zambia in an international friendly at the Moshood Abiola stadium, Abuja on Friday.

The friendly game is part of the high profile games put together to get the Flying Eagles in good shape for the U20 AFCON in Egypt.

The trio of Haliru Sarki, Olamilekan Adams, Emmanuel Uchegbu and Samson Lawal found the back of the net for the Flying Eagles against Zambia in an highly competitive encounter.

Following an epic first 38 minutes of the game, Haliru Sarki popped up from nowhere to give Nigeria the lead in the 39th minute.

Lone goal separated both sides in the first 45 minutes of play but the tenacity of play from both sides couldn’t be hidden.

At the start of the second half, the Zambians didn’t feel deterred by playing in an unfamiliar terrain as they came back on level terms when Derrick Bulaya’s volley stunned the home side in the 50th minute.

The Flying Eagles, however showed purpose in attack and were rewarded with another breakthrough when  Adams Olamilekan put them in the driving seat of the match in the 63rd minute.

The relenting Zambians continued to give the Nigeria side a run for their money as equalled the score line in the 66th minute with an emphatic finish from Bulaya’s header.

Gutted by the setback, Emmanuel Uchegbu retained the Flying Eagles lead in the 77th minute to make it 3-2 before Samson Lawal dashed the comeback hopes of the Zambians netting the fourth goal for the Flying Eagles with a great finish in the 87th minute.

The Flying Eagles were able to survive a fierce competitive game against the Cosafa champions to gain a morale-boost for the U20 AFCON in Egypt.