Flying Eagles bounce back, Falconets qualify for semifinal

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Ladan Bosso’s U-20 male football team is back in contention for a semifinal place after victory over South Sudan, while their female counterparts are through after their second victory.

The Flying Eagles beat South Sudan 1-0 in their second Group B game on Monday to get their campaign back on track. Nigeria went into the game on the back of a disappointing 2-1 loss to Uganda in their opening match. The team, however, redeemed their image on Monday with a slim but important victory against their South Sudan counterparts. Sadiq Isiyiaka, who scored Nigeria’s only goal against Uganda, converted from the spot in the second half to give the Flying Eagles a scrappy 1-0 win. The Ladan Bosso-led side now shifts attention to their final group game against Senegal on Friday to secure qualification for the semi-finals of the men’s football event. Uganda leads Group B with six points after defeating Senegal 1-0 on Monday.

Falconets through to the semifinal

Also on Monday, Nigeria’s Under-20 women’s football team, the Falconets, defeated their Senegalese opponents 4-0 to book a place in the semi-finals of the All Africa Games at Cape Coast Stadium. The goals from Loveth Edeh, Motunrayo Ezekiel, Chioma Olise, and an own goal were enough to move the Nigerian team ahead of Senegal. Falconets took the lead in the 14th minute through Edeh. The Senegalese fought back, but they could not penetrate the solid Nigerian defense. Five minutes into the second half, Nigeria doubled their lead through  Ezekiel. A minute later, the pressure from the Nigerian forwards forced the Senegalese to commit a blunder, which saw Aiche Kalas score an own goal. Nigeria added the fourth goal through forward Oliseh in the 81st minute. The win secured a place in the semi-finals of the African Games women’s football tournament, having secured six points from two games without conceding a goal. NAN reports that the Christopher Danjuma-led girls went into the game in all confidence, having defeated Morocco 2-0 in their first match on March 8. Nigeria is the defending champion and is in Group B alongside Morocco, Senegal, and Cameroon. While hosts Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda are in Group A. The 13th African Games, which started on 8 March runs until 23 March in Ghana across three cities: Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast.

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