Flying Eagles stun Senegal, grab World Cup spot

By Olaolu Joseph

Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt was the hero on Monday as Nigeria’s Flying Eagles defeated defending champions Senegal 3-1 on penalties to advance to the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, currently ongoing in Egypt.

The victory also secured Nigeria a ticket to the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will be hosted by Chile later this year.

In a tightly contested clash in Ismailia, both teams failed to score during 90 minutes of regulation time and remained deadlocked after 30 minutes of extra time, forcing a penalty shootout.

Nigeria converted three of their spot kicks, while Senegal missed three out of four attempts. Precious Benjamin, Emmanuel Chukwu, and Israel Ayyma scored for the Flying Eagles, while Harcourt made crucial saves to deny Pierre Dorival and Mame Mor Faye. Ousmane Konate struck the woodwork, with Seydi Diouck the only successful scorer for Senegal.

The win was a measure of revenge for the Flying Eagles, who had lost to Senegal in the semi-finals of the tournament two years ago.