Nigeria held their nerve to secure a place in the semi-finals of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025, defeating defending champions Senegal 3-1 on penalties after a goalless draw in regulation and extra time at the Suez Canal Stadium on Monday.

Nigeria’s goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt, who had gone largely untested in the shootout, emerged as a quiet hero. His save against Mame Mor Faye’s spot kick proved pivotal in tilting the balance.

The Flying Eagles renewed their fierce rivalry in a tense quarter-final that saw both sides create scoring chances but ultimately fail to break the deadlock in 120 minutes of action.

Nigeria, unbeaten in the group stages, maintained their composure in the shootout with spot kicks expertly converted by Precious Benjamin, Emmanuel Chukwu and Israel Ayuma.

Senegal, by contrast, faltered under pressure — Pierre Dorival’s effort was saved, Mame Mor Faye’s was denied, and Ousmane Konaté crashed his attempt off the crossbar.

Seydi Diouck netted Senegal’s only penalty, but it was not enough to prevent the reigning champions from exiting the tournament.

The result marks Nigeria’s eighth successive quarter-final win at the U20 AFCON under the current format. They now advance to the semi-finals, where they will look to maintain their record of never losing a quarter-final tie in this competition.

Despite the final scoreline, both sides had moments where they could have clinched victory in open play. Nigeria’s Kparobo Arierhi and Divine Oliseh each forced saves from Senegal keeper Mouhamed Sissokho, while Senegal’s Cheikh Thiam came agonisingly close in the 42nd minute with a header that rattled the post.

As the match wore on, fatigue set in but the determination from both camps never wavered. Nigeria’s tactical substitutions — including the introduction of Precious Benjamin and Rickson Mendos — added attacking impetus late on, while Senegal reshuffled to find a breakthrough with the likes of Seydi Diouck and Mame Mor Faye.

Extra time saw Nigeria press with renewed energy. Tahir Maigana’s curling strike in the 106th minute drew a fine stop from Sissokho, while Israel Ayuma’s long-range effort two minutes later also required intervention. Yet, despite Nigeria’s dominance in the closing stages, the deadlock remained.

Senegal, who came into the tie with a strong defensive record and ambitions to retain their crown, were ultimately undone by Nigeria’s discipline and precision in the decisive moments. The result also marked their first loss in a knockout match since 2017.

Post-match, Nigeria head coach Ladan Bosso praised his side’s resilience. “We prepared for all scenarios, including penalties. I’m proud of the boys for executing under pressure,” he said.

With this result, Nigeria move one step closer to a record-extending eighth U20 AFCON title, while Senegal will now reflect on what could have been after a hard-fought campaign.

-Reuters

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Ahead of the Monday clash with defending champions, Senegal, Nigeria U20 head coach Aliyu Zubair has remarked that the Flying Eagles are fully focused and mentally prepared in the high-stakes quarter-final clash.  

The winners of the quarterfinal clash in Ismailia will secure not just a place in the semi-finals but also qualification for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile later this year.

Nigeria’s coach, Zubair told CAFonline that his team’s primary objective is to secure their World Cup slot before entertaining thoughts of winning the continental title.

“We don’t want to pursue two things at the same time,” Zubair said.

“First things first, and that is getting the ticket to the World Cup. That’s where all our attention is. We are gathering momentum and I believe we are in a ready stage now.”

Despite Nigeria’s unbeaten run in the group stage, their campaign has drawn criticism for inconsistency—especially following their 2-2 draw against an already eliminated Kenya side. Zubair, however, remains confident.

“People were underrating Kenya, thinking they are pushovers,” he said. 

“But Kenya gave a good account of themselves. We are meeting Senegal now, and we will face the match accordingly. I believe nothing is stopping us, by God’s grace.”

Senegal, winners in 2023, also had a mixed group phase—drawing with the Central African Republic, losing to Ghana, and only confirming their place in the last eight with a decisive 2-0 win over DR Congo.

Zubair acknowledges Senegal’s status but insists Nigeria will not be intimidated.

“We respect all opponents, including Senegal as defending champions. But Nigeria has been in that position before. This time, we are coming to be the ones to stop them and run our race into the semi-finals.”

With seven U20 AFCON titles to their name, Nigeria remains the most successful team in the competition’s history. A win on Monday would move them one step closer to an eighth crown and secure a return to the global stage.

“We are very confident,” Zubair declared. “We want to get to the semi-final—just to win the match.”

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Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been drawn against U20 defending champions, Senegal, in a quarter-final clash holding on Monday at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismaila, Egypt.  The match holds 1 pm Nigerian time.

Like the other three quarter-final duels on the same day, the Nigeria–Senegal match is tantalising and highly unpredictable.

Nigeria, the seven-time champions, secured their quarterfinal spot with a solid performance, including a crucial draw against Morocco. On the other hand, Senegal, the defending champions, continued their impressive form, advancing confidently from their group.

In other pairings, Morocco will face the rave of the moment, Sierra Leone, whose player, Momoh Kamara, is the tournament’s lead scorer. He has four goals to his credit.  But Morocco have been convincing in the group stages.

South Africa will take on DR Congo in another quarterfinal duel. Ghana will take on hosts, Egypt in the last quarterfinal match.

 U-20 AFCON Egypt 2025 Quarter-Finals Fixtures

• 1 pm.  Nigeria vs Senegal
• 4 pm Ghana vs Egypt
• 4 pm Morocco vs Sierra Leone
• 7 pm South Africa vs DR Congo

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