Nigeria’s Flying Eagles secured a third-place finish at the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a dramatic 4–1 penalty shootout victory over hosts Egypt on Sunday at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
The third-place playoff ended 1–1 after 90 minutes before Nigeria held their nerve from the spot to claim a record-equalling fifth bronze medal in U20 AFCON history.
Osama Omar gave Egypt a dream start, finding the net in the third minute with a sharp finish from close range after Mahmoud Labib’s low cut-back caused chaos in the Nigerian box.
Flying Eagles, though rattled early, gradually found their rhythm and began to dominate possession. Clinton Jephta and Precious Benjamin tested Egyptian goalkeeper Abdel Monem Tamer, while Israel Ayuma fired wide from distance.
Their persistence paid off just two minutes into the second half, when Divine Oliseh sliced open the defence with a clever through ball to Bidemi Amole, who slotted home calmly to level the score.
Late drama and shootout heroics
Both sides pushed for a winner in a lively second half. Tahir Maigana and Kparobo Arierhi added spark off the bench for Nigeria, while Egypt nearly stole it in stoppage time—Mohamed El Sayed hit the bar and Mohamed Haitham struck the post in a frenetic finish.
With no extra time played in the third-place match, the game went straight to penalties.
Nigeria were flawless from the spot, converting all four attempts through Emmanuel Chukwu, Ayuma, Arierhi, and Maigana.
Egypt faltered, with Mohamed Atef and Ahmed Kabaka both denied by 15-year-old Nigerian goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt, who once again showed remarkable composure and maturity beyond his years.
A Proud Record Continues
The win secured Nigeria’s fifth bronze medal and 14th podium finish in U20 AFCON history. It also maintained their strong record against host nations, beating Egypt for the second successive tournament.
