PUNCH
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles on Monday lost 0-1 to their Gambian counterparts in the semi-finals of the ongoing Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The match which was played at the Cairo International Stadium saw the Nigerian side dominating the encounter with 62 per cent possession as against the Gambians’ 38 per cent.
But they failed to hit the target and have consequently paid for it by missing out on the final match for an attempt at a record eighth title win.
The Flying Eagles were too casual with play in the opening minutes of the game and were eventually punished for it after seven minutes.
That was when Adama Bojang capitalised on a loose ball from a misdirected header in Nigeria’s defence to score.
The Nigerian team did step up their play after going behind, dominating ball possession, creating all the dangerous plays, and putting the Young Scorpions on the back foot.
But the poor connection between the wingers and the strikers made it difficult for the team to equalise, even with Gambia playing with 10 men for a few minutes before the end of the game.
