Joe Apu
The Flying Eagles last night secured a semifinal place as well as booked their ticket to the FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland with a 1-0 victory over a resilient Niger Republic side.
A second half strike from Adamu Alhassan from a harmless free kick in the 73rd minute of play was all the Flying Eagles needed to go through and will face the winner of the match between Mali and Ghana in the semifinal.
The Flying Eagles almost conceded an equaliser with seven minutes left on the clock as Issah Salou’s header went inches away from beating goalkeeper Olawale Oremade.
In the other Group A game, South Africa sealed their place at the 2019 Fifa Under-20 World Cup after reaching the knockout stages of the Caf U-20 Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over Burundi at Stade de Maradi in Maradi‚ Niger.
An early penalty from Luke le Roux sealed the victory for Amajita‚ who had to weather a storm from the Burundians‚ and now face Senegal in the semifinals of the tournament on Wednesday.
Coach Thabo Senong’s side finished second in their group behind Nigeria after a win and two draws‚ but perhaps more importantly have sealed their place at the Under-20 World Cup in Poland in May‚ when he will hope to have a number of his first team players available after they were not released for this tournament.