The Flying Eagles of Nigeria secured third place at the 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations with a 4-1 penalty shootout victory over hosts Egypt on Sunday, after a 1-1 draw in regulation time at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
In a dramatic third-place playoff, Nigeria showcased their resilience and composure to claim their fifth bronze medal in the tournament’s history and their 14th podium finish overall.
Egypt made a blistering start to the encounter, taking the lead just three minutes in when Osama Omar capitalised on Mahmoud Labib’s cut-back to slot home from close range. But the Flying Eagles quickly settled and took control of possession, with Clinton Jephta and Precious Benjamin testing Egyptian goalkeeper Abdel Monem Tamer. Israel Ayuma also came close with two long-range efforts that narrowly missed the target.
Nigeria’s persistence was rewarded early in the second half. In the 47th minute, Divine Oliseh unlocked the Egyptian defence with a pinpoint pass to Bidemi Amole, who calmly finished to level the score.
Substitutes Tahir Maigana and Kparobo Arierhi added fresh legs as the Flying Eagles pushed for a winner. Egypt nearly stole the win in added time, but efforts from Mohamed El Sayed and Mohamed Haitham struck the crossbar and post respectively, sending the match to penalties.
In the shootout, Nigeria were clinical, converting all four of their penalties through Emmanuel Chukwu, Israel Ayuma, Arierhi, and Maigana. The standout performance came from 15-year-old goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt, who saved spot-kicks from Mohamed Atef and Ahmed Kabaka to secure the win.
The result extended Nigeria’s strong record against host nations in U-20 AFCON history and ensured a positive end to their campaign after missing out on a place in the final.
