February 04, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria U-20 men’s national team, Flying Eagles, secured a 4-2 victory against Zambia in an international friendly game at the MKO Abiola stadium in Abuja on Friday.
Both teams used the match as a warm-up for this year’s CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Egypt from February 19 to March 11. Haliru Sarki, Olamilekan Adams, Emmanuel Uchegbu and Samson Lawal, scored for the Flying Eagles, while Moses Mulenga and Lasmond Phiri scored for Zambia.
The game was a back-and-forth battle with both teams fighting for the lead. Sarki opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, but Zambia equalized in the 59th minute. The Flying Eagles regained the lead on 62 minutes but Zambia once again got back into the game with a goal in the 66th minute. With 15 minutes left, Uchegbu and Lawal added to the scoresheet for the Nigerian team.
The Flying Eagles will start their campaign in Group A, alongside Egypt, Mozambique, and Senegal, while Zambia is in Group C with Gambia, Benin Republic, and Tunisia. The top four teams from the U-20 AFCON will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will take place in Indonesia.
With the win against Zambia, the Flying Eagles will be full of confidence as they gear up for the tournament.
