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Points of interest ahead of today’s Flying Eagles v. Uganda match

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles under Ladan Bosso take on Uganda this evening in what is a ‘winner-takes-all’ clash. The winner of the match gets one of the four African slots at the FIFA U-20 World Cup holding later this year in Indonesia, the country that was originally to host the cancelled 2021 edition.

Ahead of the clash, www.sportsvillagesquare.com provides some insights into the clash.

  • Ismaila, the Northern city where Nigeria and Uganda will contest for the ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, is a good hunting ground for Nigerian teams. This is where Nigeria won the CAF Champions League for the first time 20 years ago.
  • This is the first encounter of Nigeria and Uganda at U-20 level. Previous clashes of both have been at the national team and U-23 level.
  • It is at Ismaila that Nigeria and Uganda first met at U-23 level 32 years ago at the 1991 All Africa Games. Nigeria won 8-1 to recorded their highest goal haul in history.
  • Uganda has never beaten Nigeria in age-graded duel. Both teams have met three times at the U-23 level. Apart from the 8-1 loss to Nigeria on 23 Sept. 1991, Uganda also lost to Nigeria 2-3 at home on 19 February 2000 and 0-1 in Lagos on 20 February 2000.
  • At national team level, Nigeria have always found Uganda a hard nut to crack. The Ugandans spoilt Vincent Enyeama’s fun when they inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Super Eagles at Uyo in a match organised to mark the 100th international appearance of the former Nigeria goalkeeper. It was Uganda that stopped Nigeria at the semi-finals of the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, following a shock 2-1 defeat.
  • Odion Ighalo made his international debut for Nigeria in a duel with Uganda on 25 March 2015 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo. Nigeria lost the match 0-1.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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