Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have sent their Ugandan counterparts packing from the ongoing Under-17 Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) in Tanzania after both sides played out a 1-1 draw in their last group match on Saturday.
The Eaglets who have already picked a World Cup ticket had earlier defeated Tanzania and Angola 4-3 and 1-0 respectively to earn the World Cup slot.
The Ugandan who desperately needed a win to be sure of qualifying for the semifinals shot into the lead in the 68th minute of the match through substitute John Alou.
The Eaglets, however, leveled up in the 74th minute thanks to Ibraheem Jabaar who got a timely assist from Olakunle Olusegun.
The Ugandans mounted a lot of pressure on the Eaglets with the intention of increasing the tally but every move failed as the Eaglets stood their ground.
The Nigerian boys wasted some begging chances that would have handed them outright victory to ensure three wins in three matches.
The team nonetheless finished the group stage on high, topping the group with seven points above Angola who finished in the second position thus showing hosts Tanzania and Uganda the exit doors.
Eaglets will await the outcome of the ties between Guinea versus Morocco and Cameroon versus Senegal on Sunday.
Cameroon lead group B with 6 points going into Sunday’s match, while Guinea occupies the second position with three points going into Sunday’s match.
Morocco and Senegal have already crashed out with just a point each.
Eaglets are likely to face Guinea in the semifinals while Cameroon who will be looking to consolidate their lead on Sunday will face Angola in the second semifinals on Wednesday.
The finals of the championship will take place on April 28 at National Stadium, Dar es Salaam.