Flying Eagles arrive in Abuja after U-20 AFCON third place finish
- Adaramola Yemiblak
- May 19
- 1 min read
Nigeria's U-20 national football team, the Flying Eagles, are set to touch down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at 2:00 PM WAT on Tuesday.
The Aliyu Zubairu-led squad is set to depart from their Guard Hotel for Cairo International Airport at 11:00 AM Egyptian time, embarking on a four-hour flight aboard Egypt Airlines to return home.
The team secured a hard-fought third-place finish at the just-concluded U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a tense encounter, host Egypt drew first blood, taking an early lead that threatened Nigeria's aspirations. However, the Flying Eagles showed their mettle, responding swiftly after the restart. Just two minutes into the second half, Nigeria found the equalizer, leveling the score at 1-1 and injecting renewed energy into their play.
As regulation time ended without a further breakthrough, the fate of the bronze medal rested on a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, that saw the most decorated U20 AFCON team emerge 5-2 winners.
With their bronze medal achievement, Nigeria joins Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco in qualifying for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
After the third place match, South Africa pulled off a surprise 1–0 win over pre-tournament favourites Morocco to clinch their first-ever U-20 AFCON title.
