Seven-time champions Nigeria and hosts Egypt, themselves four-time titleholders, will battle for third place in the Africa U20 Cup of Nations on Sunday at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium in Cairo.
Initially tipped by many pundits to reach the finals, both sides stumbled in the semi-finals and are now set to clash in the tournament’s third-place playoff—a consolation match for two of the continent’s football powerhouses.
Elsewhere, Morocco and South Africa will meet in a repeat of the 1997 final, where the Atlas Cubs edged their rivals 1-0 in Meknes.
For Nigeria, this will be the fifth time contesting the bronze medal. They previously won third place in 1995, 2009, and 2013. Egypt, on the other hand, are making their fourth appearance in the third-place match, also with three bronze finishes to their name.
The history between these two teams is storied. Notably, they met in the 2005 final in Cotonou, where Nigeria emerged victorious with a 2-0 win courtesy of two goals from the late Isaac Promise.
Nigeria’s bronze medal victories are well documented. In 1995, they edged Mali 1-0 in Lagos after a semi-final loss to Cameroon in Kaduna. In 2009, the Haruna Lukman-led side beat South Africa 2-1 in Rwanda. Then in 2013, they again defeated Mali 2-1 in Algeria after falling 0-2 to Egypt in the semis. However, their 2019 campaign ended in back-to-back penalty shootout defeats to Mali and South Africa, leaving them empty-handed.
Egypt’s U20 pedigree is equally impressive. Their first continental title came in 1981 after beating Cameroon 3-1 on aggregate in a home-and-away format. A decade later, they hosted and won the newly formatted tournament, and clinched their third title in Burkina Faso in 2003, defeating Côte d’Ivoire 4-3 after extra time. Their most recent triumph came in 2013, edging Ghana in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.
Nigeria’s involvement in the Africa U20 Cup dates back to 1979, when they failed to qualify for the global finals in Japan after losing to Guinea on aggregate. Egypt, meanwhile, have also enjoyed bronze success, overcoming Ethiopia twice—in 1993 (3-0) and in 2001 (2-0)—and Mali (1-0) in 2011.
More recently, Nigeria bested Egypt in a group-stage meeting two years ago, thanks to a powerful header from Solomon Agbalaka.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Flying Eagles Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu may reshuffle his squad following their loss to South Africa. First-choice goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt remains a doubt and will undergo a late fitness test ahead of the match. In defense, captain Daniel Bameyi, Odinaka Okoro, Adamu Maigari, and Emmanuel Chukwu are likely options.
In midfield, Israel Ayuma has impressed throughout the tournament and is expected to start, with support from a combination of Sulyman Alabi, Simon Cletus, Divine Oliseh, and Auwal Ibrahim. Up front, the likes of Clinton Jephta, Kparobo Arierhi, Tahir Maigana, Bidemi Amole, Precious Benjamin, and Mendos Rickson are all available for selection.
