Five-time champions Nigeria will guarantee a return to the U-17 World Cup if they overcome Angola’s U-17 side in their second match at the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Wednesday (today).
The Golden Eaglets failed to even qualify for the continental finals held in Gabon in 2017, losing to Niger Republic in the final qualifying round.
On Sunday, the Eaglets slumped from a 3-1 lead to concede three goals and fall behind 4-3 to hosts Tanzania in the tournament opener, but rallied back with two spectacular goals to win the thrilling encounter 5-4 and claim all three points.
Angola’s 1-0 win over Uganda hours later ensured that the winners of the top-of-the-table duel between both sides on Wednesday would have one leg in the semi-finals and automatically in the U-17 World Cup slated for Brazil later in the year.
All four semi-finalists at the championship in Tanzania will represent Africa in Brazil.
Two-goal hero against Tanzania Wisdom Ubani and Man-of-the-Match Akinkunmi Amoo will be the cynosure of all eyes in the Eaglets’ attacking line on Wednesday.
Yet, Ibraheem Jabaar, who slammed in the winning goal against the Serengeti Boys minutes after coming on as a substitute, is also capable of making things happen, just as Olakunle Olusegun, Fawaz Abdullahi and Olatomi Olaniyan.
Nigeria won the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in 2001 in Seychelles and in 2007 in Togo, and were world champions in 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.
In Wednesday’s other match of Group A, Tanzania will tackle Uganda as both teams hunt for their first points at the tournament.
