THE Flying Eagles secured their first victory of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt tonight, beating the hosts 1-0 in a Group A clash in Cairo.
The Nigerians had lost their opening encounter on Sunday 1-0 to Senegal and needed a result against Egypt, who had drawn 0-0 with Mozambique.
Solomon Agbalaka scored the only goal in the second half of the tightly contested match to earn the Flying Eagles the crucial points.
After a rather drab first half of disjointed football and precious few scoring opportunities, the game burst to life in the second period.
Realising that they needed victory, both sides came out of their shells and became more offensive, with the hosts creating the better opportunities.
Egypt nearly took the lead twice few minutes after the hour mark, but goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso was equal to the task both times.
Aniagboso, who replaced Nathaniel Nwosu in the starting line-up, stopped the first chance with his foot from point-blank range and the second one with an outstretched arm.
Moments after those missed chances, the Flying Eagles punished the Pharaohs, Agbalaka powering home a magnificent header from a corner kick in the 71st minute.
Ladan Bosso’s men saw the game out without allowing the desperate Egyptians any more opportunities, and they moved to second place in the Group A table with three points.
Senegal took top spot and sealed their place in the quarter-finals earlier today after a 3-0 victory over Mozambique, also in Cairo.
The group will be decided on Saturday when Nigeria face Mozambique in Ismailia and Egypt battle Senegal in Cairo.
The top two will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, with the third-place team standing a chance depending on how many points they garner.
