Nigeria’s Flying Eagles secured a bronze medal at the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament by defeating host nation Egypt 4-1 in a penalty shootout, following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The match took place at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday.
Egypt took an early lead with Osama Omar scoring in the 3rd minute, but Nigeria equalized just after the break when Divine Oliseh’s pass set up Bidemi Amole to slot home. With both teams unable to find a winner in 90 minutes, the game went straight to penalties.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Ebenezer Harcourt, made crucial saves to deny Egypt’s Mohamed Atef and Ahmed Kabaka, while Nigeria’s players – Emmanuel Chukwu, Ayuma, Arierhi, and Maigana – converted all four of their spot kicks.
This win marks Nigeria’s fifth bronze medal and 14th podium finish in U-20 AFCON history. The Flying Eagles’ journey in the tournament ended with a notable performance, despite losing to South Africa 1-0 in the semifinals. South Africa will now face Morocco, who defeated Egypt 1-0 in the other semifinal, in the U-20 AFCON final.
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