BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

When the Nigeria Flying Eagles line out to face Kenya on Wednesday night, it is not just their last Group C match of the series, it is their 100th match of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.

No other country has grossed up to that in the series. The Flying Eagles are seven-time champions and are hoping for a record-extending eighth win.

They will at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo face off with an already eliminated Kenyan team at 4 pm Nigerian time.  A draw is enough for Nigeria, who need just one point to progress.

But if they win, they could top the group if the potentially dicey encounter of Morocco and Tunisia ends in a draw or a Tunisia victory.

Nigeria’s most recent encounter with East African opposition was a 1-0 win over Uganda in the 2023 quarterfinals.

 Kenya, meanwhile, will be facing West African opponents for the first time at this stage of the competition.

According to statistics released by CAF, Nigeria has the lowest shot conversion rate in Group C at just 6.25%, while Kenya has a rate of 14.29% – the second highest in the group, behind Tunisia (17.65%).

In terms of defensive stats, Nigeria have won 27 tackles, while Kenya leads the group with 34.

Nigeria have kept two clean sheets – the most in the group – while Kenya conceded six goals, three in each of their first two matches.

Kenya leads Group C in shots on target with 11, while Nigeria has managed just seven, tied for the fewest with Tunisia.

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Nigeria began their campaign with a 1-0 win over Tunisia and followed it with a goalless draw against Morocco.

The Flying Eagles are aiming to reach the knockout stages for the ninth consecutive tournament in which they have participated.

Since 1993, when the tournament adopted a single-format structure, Nigeria has progressed beyond the group stage ten times and been eliminated just twice (1993 and 2001).

Their record in final group matches since 1993 reads: Played 12, won 7, drew 2, lost 3.

They have won their final group game in the last two editions they participated in and are unbeaten in their last six final group games (W5 D1).

The only draw in this run came against Côte d’Ivoire in 2022.

 Nigeria last lost their final group game in 2007, a 2-0 defeat to Cameroon.

Despite the loss, they progressed as Group B runners-up behind Zambia.

If Nigeria draw 0-0 and qualifies with only one goal scored, it would mark their lowest goal tally in the group stage since 2001, though unlike that year, they will progress to the knockout stage.

If they avoid defeat, Nigeria will have completed the group stage unbeaten for the eighth time.

This is only the second time, after 2019, that Nigeria have kept clean sheets in both of their opening group games. In 2019, they also went through the entire group stage without conceding a goal.

Nigeria scored just one goal in their first two group matches.

The last time they did this was in 2023, when they lost 1-0 to Senegal, beat Egypt 1-0, and then defeated Mozambique 2-0.

They are currently the lowest-scoring team in their group.

Daniel Barneyi had 75 touches against Morocco – the most by any player in that match.

Nigeria had three shots on target in the game against Morocco but failed to score.

 Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt has kept two clean sheets, making two saves (both in the opening match against Tunisia). He did not face a shot on target in the draw against Morocco.

Nigeria is one of only two teams yet to concede at the tournament, the other being Zambia, which has played one more game.

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Sierra Leone and South Africa are poised for their first-ever clash at the Under-20 CAF Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia (kick-off 21:00 local time / 18:00 GMT).

Sierra Leone have already secured a quarter-final place, but South Africa will want a win that would see them take a giant step towards the knockout rounds.

Sierra Leone is meeting Southern African opponents for the second time. They drew their opening game 0-0 against Zambia. 

This is South Africa’s fourth game against a tournament debutant; they have never defeated a tournament debutant, drawing and then losing to Burkina Faso and Gabon. Their last meeting with a tournament debutant ended 1-1 against Niger in 2019.  

Sierra Leone will become South Africa’s 21^st different opponent at the finals.

This game will be South Africa’s 18^th game against West African opponents. South Africa’s record against West African opponents reads P17 W3 D5 L9.

From their previous 17 games against West African opponents, South Africa have three wins. They defeated Mali in their second group game in 1997 and then opened up with successive wins over Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria in 2009.

South Africa are winless in open play against West African opponents. In their last 9 games against such opposition, they have won their second group game 2-1in 2009 against Nigeria.
All three draws coming in 2019, they began with successive draws against Nigeria and Nigeria and then drew again with Nigeria in the play-off for third before winning on penalties.    

SIERRA LEONE FACTS
·      Sierra Leone have been the surprise package of this year’s tournament. Unbeaten in their first three matches, they opened with a goalless draw against Zambia before defeating Egypt 4-1 and Tanzania 1-0.

·      A win against South Africa would make Sierra Leone the first tournament debutants since Congo in 2007 to win three consecutive matches at the finals.

·      They’re also the first debutants since Uganda in 2021 to reach the knockout stages and the first since Ghana in 1991 to record back-to-back group stage victories.

·      Samuel Gandi scored the decisive goal against Tanzania, finding the net in the 37th minute.

·      Sierra Leone impressed in that match with 415 completed passes, led by Alpha Turay, who made 57 – the most by any player on the pitch.

·      Nine players have started all three games, with five – Saidu Bangura, Mamadou Jalloh, Nathaniel Jalloh, Amara Keita, and Alpha Turay – playing every minute of the campaign so far.

SOUTH AFRICA FACTS
·      South Africa head into their final group game with renewed confidence after a 1-0 victory over Tanzania.

·      They opened their campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Egypt and will now aim to secure consecutive group stage wins for the first time since 2009, when they defeated Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria in back-to-back matches.

·      Historically, South Africa have struggled against tournament debutants. They’ve faced three such teams previously – Burkina Faso, Gabon, and Niger – without registering a win. Their most recent encounter with a debutant ended 1-1 against Niger in 2019.

·      This match marks South Africa’s 21st different opponent at the U-20 finals and their 18th match against West African opposition.

·      Their record against West African teams stands at 3 wins, 5 draws, and 9 losses from 17 matches.

·      All three victories came between 1997 and 2009, and they are now winless in their last nine matches against West African sides in regulation time.

·      Their last three group games have all ended 1-0 – a win over Burundi in 2019, a loss to Egypt, and the recent win against Tanzania.

·      In fact, four of their last five matches at the finals have ended with that scoreline. None of their last six matches has featured both teams scoring – the last time that happened was a 1-1 draw with Niger in 2019.

·      In terms of third group stage games, South Africa have won four and lost four across eight appearances.

·      Notably, all eight have ended with a winner with none drawn. They’ve won their third group game in each of the last three tournaments they’ve played: defeating Zambia (2015), Sudan (2017), and Burundi (2019).

·      Against Tanzania, South Africa managed three shots on target, following four in their loss to Egypt.

·      They’ve also been dominant in possession, recording over 60% against Egypt and 56.5% against Tanzania.

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