Morocco began this year’s tournament with an impressive 3-2 comeback win against Kenya. That result extended their unbeaten run in open play at the U20 AFCON finals to 10 matches (W5 D5), with their last defeat coming in the group stage of the 2003 tournament, a 4-0 loss to Egypt.

  They are also unbeaten in their last seven group-stage matches at the finals (W5 D2).

 The five-goal thriller against Kenya was the first time Morocco had been involved in such a high-scoring game at the finals since their 4-1 loss to Egypt in 1997.

Historically, Morocco has never started a group-stage tournament with two consecutive wins.

On both previous occasions when they won their opening match – against Lesotho in 2005 and Gambia in 2021 – they failed to win the second, drawing 2-2 with Egypt and 0-0 with Ghana, respectively.

Since 1993, when group stages became standard, Morocco’s record in their second group game is: Played 5, Won 1, Drawn 2, Lost 2. Their only win in that span came in 1997 on home soil, a 2-0 victory over Sudan.

They have drawn their second match in each of their last two appearances (2005 and 2021) and lost in 1993 (4-1 to Egypt) and 2003 (1-0 to Côte d’Ivoire).

In their win over Kenya, Morocco recorded nine shots on target – the most of any team in the first round of matches.

Ismaël Baouf completed 69 passes, the most by any player in that game. Saad El Haddad had a perfect tackle success rate, winning all six of his challenges.

Yassir Zabiri scored twice from three shots on target, while Reda Laalaoui netted the game-winner in the 87th minute with his only shot on target.

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Nigeria will be playing their 99th match at the U20 AFCON and are seeking their 57th win.

They started their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia, courtesy of Auwal Ibrahim’s goal in the 38th minute.

 The last time Nigeria began the tournament with back-to-back wins was in 2015, when they defeated Senegal 3-1 and Congo 4-1. They also achieved this feat in 1999 and 2005.

Since 1993, Nigeria’s record in their second group match stands at: Played 12, Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 3.

They are unbeaten in their last four second group games (W3 D1), with their last defeat coming in 2011 – a 1-0 loss to Cameroon.

Their most dominant second-game win came in 1999, a 5-0 thrashing of Malawi.

 In their win over Tunisia, Nigeria attempted 399 passes. Divine Oliseh was involved in 19 duels, more than any other Nigerian player.

 Both Oliseh and Caleb Ochedikwu won 11 duels each, the most in the match. Emmanuel Chukwu led the game with eight clearances.

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Nigeria will on Thursday launch their campaign for an eighth Africa U20 title when the Flying Eagles file out against the Junior Carthage Eagles of Tunisia at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, in the opening match of Group B.

Forty years ago, the boys from Carthage were the victims as the Flying Eagles won the second of their seven African titles, in the era when the winner was decided over two legs. With both teams already qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship (now FIFA U20 World Cup) finals in then USSR, Nigeria forced a 1-1 draw with their hosts in Tunis, and then won a close-fought return leg 2-1 at the National Stadium, Surulere.

Two years ago, the Carthage Eagles again bowed to the Eagles from West Africa in the third-place match of the U20 AFCON, also hosted by Egypt. It ended 4-0 against the North Africans.

Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu and his charges understand that they must take it one match at a time as they aspire for glory, with Cup holders Senegal (who head Group C), hosts Egypt (who head Group A) and four-time winners Ghana (in Group C) also in the hunt for honours.

Four-time champions Egypt (winners in 1981, 1991, 2003 and 2013) already pocketed three points from their opening match against South Africa on Sunday, while Zambia and Sierra Leone fought themselves to a scoreless draw.

Ghana have their work cut out in Group C, where they must negotiate survival with title-holders Senegal, a Central African Republic side that eliminated Cameroon, and the nifty Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nigeria must beware of the host nation, even though the Flying Eagles pipped the Egyptians 1-0 in a group phase match in Cairo two years ago. The only Final matches Nigeria have lost since the competition transformed from home-and-away format to a tournament were against host nations – against Ghana in Accra in 1999 and against Congo in Brazzaville eight years later. On the reverse, Nigeria defeated hosts Senegal in the Final in 2015.

Ghana were champions in 1993, 1999 (as hosts), 2009 (when they won in Rwanda) and 2021. Cameroon, who are not in Egypt, won their only title when Nigeria hosted the competition in 1995.

After Thursday’s shootout with the Junior Carthage Eagles, the seven-time champions will be up against 1997 hosts and winners Morocco, also at the 30 June Stadium.

Zubairu is excited that his boys are riding on immense psychological wavelengths after a 2-1 defeat of host nation Egypt in a friendly match at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday – barely 48 hours after the delegation landed in Cairo.

“That result has provided a good impetus for us as we prepare to face the Tunisians – another North African opposition. You need a result like that when you’re preparing for a competition like this. It does not mean that we will rest on our oars; it only serves to give us much-needed confidence and ginger us to face our challenges better.

“We will go for the maximum points against the Tunisians and then take it one step at a time as we forge ahead.”

Kparobo Arierhi, who scored three goals at the WAFU B U20 Championship and netted the first goal against Egypt on Tuesday, Germany-based Precious Benjamin and home-boys Clinton Jephta and Divine Oliseh are the key foremen that Zubairu will be hoping to deliver against each and every opposition.  

Tunisia did not originally qualify for these finals, but sneaked through after original hosts Cote d’Ivoire pulled the rug on the Confederation of African Football with only weeks to the opening match.

All four semi-finalists at the tournament will qualify to fly Africa’s flag at this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile, 27^th September – 19^th October.

24 FLYING EAGLES AT EGYPT 2025:

Goalkeepers: Ifeanyi Ebenezer Harcourt (Sporting Lagos); Rufai Abubakar (Mavlon FC); Soliu Ajia Yakub (FK Novi Pazar, Serbia)

Defenders: Adamu Maigari (El-Kanemi Warriors); Odinaka Okoro (Sporting Lagos); Daniel Bameyi (Bayelsa United); Emmanuel Chukwu (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Germany); Chigozie Michael Ihejiofor (Katsina United)

Midfielders: Caleb Ochedikwu (NK Uljanik Pula, Croatia); Israel Isaac Ayuma (NK Istra, Croatia); Simon Cletus (Mavlon FC); Sulaiman Alabi Jojo (El-Kanemi Warriors); Auwal Ibrahim (Akwa United); Shafiu Adamu Duguri (Wikki Tourists)

Forwards: Precious Benjamin (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Germany); Ezekiel Anthony Kpangu (Inspire FC); Divine Oliseh (Forster Academy); Clinton Jephta (Enyimba FC); Bidemi Amole (Real Sapphire FC); Tahir Maigana (Wireless FC); Theophilus Mendos Rickson (Niger Tornadoes); Kparobo Nathaniel Arierhi (Lillestrom SK, Norway); Matthew Kingsley (Kings FC); Yushau Armiyau (Katsina United)

GROUP A: Egypt, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Tanzania

GROUP B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya

GROUP C: Senegal, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ghana

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