Flying Eagles' U-20 AFCON quarterfinal ambitions stalled by Morocco

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Nigeria and Morocco's hopes of clinching qualification to the quarterfinals of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations were put on hold as they played out a goalless draw in Sunday's Group B clash at 30 June Air Defence Stadium in Cairo.

With both teams coming into the match unbeaten in the group stages of the AFCON, the Flying Eagles were riding high off a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Tunisia in their opening game, and aimed to secure an early qualification to the quarterfinals with a win against a strong Moroccan side who had edged Kenya 3-2 in their first match.

The game was a cagey affair, with both teams showing tactical discipline and limiting clear-cut scoring opportunities. Seven-time U-20 AFCON champions Nigeria demonstrated flashes of brilliance in attack but struggled to break down a well-organized Moroccan defense.

Also, the Atlas Lion Cubs posed a threat on the counter-attack but the Nigerian backline stood rigid as they played to the coaches' instructions.

The result leaves Group B open after the other group fixture played earlier in the day saw Tunisia bounce back from their defeat to Nigeria with a convincing 3-1 victory over Kenya.

Nigeria's goalless draw means that the record U-20 AFCON champions now sit on four points from their opening two matches while Morocco remain level on points with Nigeria at the top of Group B.

Following Tunisia's victory over Kenya, the Flying Eagles will need to avoid defeat in their final group game. A loss against the East Africans could potentially see Nigeria's qualification hopes hanging in the balance, depending on the result between Morocco and Tunisia.

Nigeria will now set their sights to Wednesday where they will face bottom feeders Kenya at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo. An all-North African duel in the other Group B match on Wednesday will see Tunisia play against Morocco at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.

Group B Table (2 matches played)

	Points
Morocco	4
Nigeria	4
Tunisia	3
Kenya	0

• The top two teams qualify for the quarterfinals.

• The two best third placed teams from the three groups qualify for the quarterfinals.