Africa Games: Flying Eagles Battle Burkina Faso For Football Gold
By Amaechi Agbo
Nigeria’s U-20 football male team, the Flying Eagles will on Friday battle Burkina Faso for the football gold in the on-going 12th edition of Africa Games, in Rabat, Morocco, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.
To reach the final, Nigeria saw off Mali 5-4 in the first semi-final match played Tuesday while Burkina Fas dispatched Senegal to set up and repeat of the opening match clash where both teams share the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
It was a sweet revenge for Flying Eagles on Tuesday as the Paul Aigbogun tutored side took a pound of flesh from their Malian counterparts to hit the finals of the football event.
Both teams failed to find target in regulation and extra time, with Nigeria captain Abubakar Ibrahim inexplicably failing to convert a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. Penalty shoot-out again came to the rescue as happened when both battled to a 1-1 draw in the semi finals of the Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Niger Republic in February.
In Niamey, Mali triumphed 4-3 after the shoot-out. But the session in Rabat on Tuesday proved comical, with the Flying Eagles showing inefficiency from the spot by throwing away their first three kicks even as goalkeeper Detan Ogundare kept saving the Malian kicks. Mike Zaruma, Rabiu Mohammed and Emeka Chinonso wasted their kicks.
Skipper Abubakar Ibrahim and Success Makanjuola scored the fourth and fifth kicks, just as the Malians did, to take the shoot-out into sudden death.
In sudden death, Samuel Nnochiri and Adesina Gata scored just as their Malian opposite numbers. But after Adewale Oladoye scored, Mali’s next kick was saved by the inspired Ogundare to take Nigeria to Friday’s final.
The Flying Eagles will be up against the winner of the second semi final between Senegal and Burkina Faso.
It is the first time that Nigeria will reach the final of the men’s football tournament of the African Games since losing the gold medal match to Cameroon inside the National Stadium Complex, Abuja in 2003.
Nigeria won the gold medal of the football event (no women edition then) of the 2nd African Games she hosted in Lagos in 1973 and then lost in the final to host nation Algeria in 1978.
