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Nigeria’s Flying Eagles claimed a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Ivory Coast’s Young Elephants in a pre-U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) friendly at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Wednesday evening, Footynaija.com reports.
Captain Daniel Bameyi and Foster Academy forward Divine Oliseh were on target for Nigeria, both scoring in the second half after a goalless opening period.
Bameyi broke the deadlock from the penalty spot, calmly slotting his effort into the bottom right corner.
Despite a strong push from the hosts in search of an equalizer, Nigeria remained resolute. With just eight minutes left on the clock, Oliseh sealed the victory, finishing off a well-worked attacking move.
The result provides a significant confidence boost for the Flying Eagles as they continue preparations for the 2025 U-20 AFCON, which will be hosted in Ivory Coast. The two sides will meet again in a second friendly on Friday at the same venue, with kick-off set for 3:30 PM Ivorian time (4:30 PM Nigeria time).
Nigeria booked their place at the tournament by winning the WAFU Zone B championship in Togo in 2024, defeating Ghana 2-1 in the final.
Drawn into a challenging group alongside Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa, head coach Aliyu Zubairu will be eager to see his team build on this positive performance as they aim for a place in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
