Nigeria U-23 Team Eliminated from AFCON

Cup holders, Nigeria have been booted out of the ongoing U-23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt following a dire 0-0 draw with South Africa yesterday night that was not enough to see them through to the semi-finals. The result meant they finished third in Group B and dropped out of contention for a place in the Men’s Football Tournament of next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.

Failure at the Al-Salam Stadium in Cairo sustained an unsavoury streak of Nigeria appearing in the Men’s Football Tournament at every other Olympics since the year 2000. Champions in 1996 in Atlanta, USA where they won Africa’s first-ever football gold medal of the Olympics, the Nigeria U-23 participated in the tournament in Australia in 2000; missed the event in Greece in 2004; took part at the event in China in 2008 and won the silver medal; missed the tournament in the United Kingdom in 2012; participated in the event in Brazil in 2016 and won the bronze medal and; will now miss Tokyo 2020.

On a day they needed just one goal to topple the South Africans and assure of a place in the last four – irrespective of the result in the other match between Cote d’Ivoire and Zambia – the Olympic Eagles failed to find their sting in the fore, dancing too much on the ball without effective contact or meaningful touches in the opposition critical zone.

Perhaps awed by Nigeria’s array of stars in Kelechi Nwakali, Taiwo Awoniyi, Azubuike Okechukwu, Sincere Seth and Orji Okwonkwo, alongside respected home-based professionals Sunusi Ibrahim and Ndifreke Effiong, the South Africans preferred to absorb the heat for the first half hour. Seeing that the Olympic Eagles lacked the punch when it mattered, the Amaglug-glug came out to attack.