“We can beat them!” – Kenya stars eye shock finish against Nigeria’s Flying Eagles

Kenya’s Rising Stars duo Amos Wanjala and Lawrence Okoth have vowed to end their U20 Africa Cup of Nations campaign on a high when they face Nigeria in their final Group B fixture on Wednesday in Egypt, Footynaija.com reports.

The young Kenyan side is already out of the tournament following back-to-back defeats to Morocco and Tunisia. Despite taking the lead in both games, lapses at the back proved costly as Salim Babu’s side fell 3-2 to Morocco and 3-1 to Tunisia.

Midfielder Lawrence Ouma netted in both games, while Hassan Beja also got on the scoresheet against Morocco. However, Kenya’s defensive fragility ultimately left them bottom of the group with zero points.

❗️M A T C H D A Y!

⚽️ Nigeria Kenya

Wednesday , 7th May 2025

⏱ 16.00 hrs

30 June Stadium

U20 Afcon

#SoarFlyingEagles
#NGAKEN pic.twitter.com/y6R3FRsRIQ

— The NFF (@thenff) May 7, 2025

“It’s a learning process every day,” midfielder Amos Wanjala admitted. “Those are games we should have won, but things went as they did. We have been conceding very easily, and that is something we have worked on.”

Top scorer Lawrence Okoth echoed Wanjala’s sentiments but remains confident ahead of the final game against the Flying Eagles.

“As a striker, I did my job, but our defending has to be better. We should have done better as a team. I will try and find the back of the net against Nigeria. It is possible and I can beat them,” Okoth said.

Assistant coach Anthony Akhulia backed his players, refusing to single out individuals for criticism. “It’s not right to single out individuals. It’s a team problem. It’s something we need to work on before we face our next opponent,” he said.

Goalkeeper Bernard Jairo could return from injury, while left-back Telena Ochieng is also in line for his first appearance.

Kick-off is at 6pm EAT, live on CAF TV’s YouTube channel. Historically, Nigeria have never lost to an East African side at U20 level.