Flying Eagles Aim for Redemption in CAF U-20 Third Place Match

ISMAILIA, Egypt — The Flying Eagles, Nigeria‘s U-20 football team, are focused on winning the third-place playoff at the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations as they prepare to face Egypt on Sunday at the 30 June Stadium. Head coach Aliyu Zubairu expressed a strong commitment to finishing the tournament positively despite the disappointment of missing the final.

In a pre-match press conference, Zubairu acknowledged the team’s loss in the semi-finals as disheartening but emphasized their desire to redeem themselves with a victory. “The preparation is a consolation preparation. That was not our bargain,” he said. “We had wanted to be at the finals, but it didn’t go the way we wanted. But all the same, we have third place to redeem our image and console ourselves and the whole nation.”

Amid discussions about the future, Zubairu stated the team’s current focus is solely on the upcoming match against Egypt. “Not really, we have to finish the Nations Cup and go sit down and look at the team,” he said. “If it needs total overhaul and heavy fortification, if it needs it, which I believe it does, but we cannot talk about that now.”

The Flying Eagles were last crowned as African champions in 2015 and are determined to leave a mark this season. Zubairu reflected on their previous performance at the last U-20 World Cup, where Nigeria reached the quarterfinals as Africa’s best side, stating the ambition to surpass that benchmark this time. “If your predecessor set a record, it is always good to at least go ahead of it,” he said.

As for the upcoming third-place match, the team remains hopeful to secure a podium finish and end the tournament on a high note, with Zubairu stating, “Let’s overcome that and after the third place, we’ll go back and come out with a road map that is leading towards the World Cup.”