The Flying Eagles went to Egypt for a two-match tour to prepare for the AFCON qualifiers.
Nigeria’s U-20 men’s team Flying Eagles on Wednesday, March 28 lost to Egypt 2-1 in their second match of the preparatory tour.
The Flying Eagles travelled to Egypt for a two-match tour against their hosts to prepare for the U-20 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Flying Eagles played were held to a draw by Egypt in their first match of the tour on Monday, March 26.
Head Coach of the Flying Eagles Paul Aigbogun had at his disposal newly recruited Bournemouth midfielder Nnamdi Oforborh.
Captain Ikouwem Udoh and his teammates, however, could not prevent the defeat after the Flying Eagles conceded two goals at before halftime.
Mike Zaruma of Plateau United scored a long distance strike for the Flying Eagles which turned out to be a mere consolation as Egypt held on for the win.
In an interview with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) website, Aigbogun revealed that there is still a lot more to come from the team.
He said, “In friendly matches, it is not the result that matters. We drew our first leg and lost the second 1-2 but I am very happy that not only have we come away with vital lessons, our objectives for the tour has been met."
Aigbogun also disclosed that the reason for coming to Egypt for the tour has been achieved.
He said, “We came here to look at the boys we have put together and that we are working with, and to see if we are on the right path. On the evidence of performance by the boys from the two matches, I believe we are. We also came here to see how they would cope in game situations, and we were not disappointed.”
The coach also expressed disappointment with the final outcome but urged his side to learn from their mistakes.
“losing narrowly against an Egyptian U20 side that had been in camp for upwards of one year was not a bad performance but a message to work harder.” Aigbogun said
The Flying Eagles are aiming to represent Nigeria at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup after the country missed out from in 2017 edition.
The Flying Eagles will begin their qualification campaign in the second round and will play against the winner between Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau.
Semi-finalists at the African U-20 competition will represent the continent at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019.
Nigeria has never lifted the FIFA U-20 World Cup but got to the final at the 1989 and 2005 editions.