…Senegal versus Gambia in Saturday’s final
…Nigeria struggles for Bronze against Tunisia on Friday.
Seven times African champions, Flying Eagles of Nigeria got her wings clipped in a lone goal victory by the poisonous sting of the Scorpions of Gambia in a 15 year old revenge move over Nigeria that was making an unequaled 15th appearance in the African Youth Championship semifinals at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt in Monday night.
A 7th minute goal from Adama Bojang off a Singhatech assist was all Gambia needed to push off the feeble former champions which is Bojang 4th goal in the tournament , just a goal behind possible Golden Boot winner Papa Diop who has 5 goals in his kitty.
Nigeria’s Ahmed Abdullahi who VAR approved a penalty for in the 85th minute after the Gambian Goalkeeper brought him down in the 6 yard box, took a penalty that looked like a pregnant woman’s kick that hit the right upright post and rolled back into play. No goal to Nigeria!
Gambian Coach, Abdoulaye Bjang, who was named the best coach of the Group stages, had said they are not after records, which Nigeria has in abundance but the match will be tactical and so it was. His photograph is the cover photo of this story when his players were celebrating him.
Nigeria’s Coach, Ladan Bosso who admitted the game will be tough had hinted that four Nigerian coaches were monitoring his opponents and filing reports but that seemed not to work against Gambia. On the day that this reporter said Nigeria fumbled and wobbled into the semifinals, some top coaches had criticized his team of lacking a champion’s prowess. That was the lucky 1-0 win over Uganda in the Quarterfinals. This Flying Eagles lack players with a football sense for goals.
Nigeria was doing the playing but lacked finishing with 21 shots at goal and 9 of them were on target against Gambia that made 3 shots at goal and only one on target; Nigeria dominated possession with 62-38% stringing fanciful 421 passes with 71 % accuracy in the passes against Gambia with 274 passes and 56% accuracy in those passes.
Nigeria set pieces record was woeful giving credits to a stubborn Gambian defence that parades a clean slate; not conceding a goal at all in the entire tournament. That is incredible. Nigeria had 12 corner kick advantages over Gambia’s nothing also 15 foul calls against Gambia – all wasted by the world cup bound Nigeria. In fact one of the Gambian tactics was to ensure Nigeria did not score at all for which Haruna Rasid Njie bagged a red in the 899th minute.
Nigeria had beaten Gambia by a lone goal at the 2007 semifinals and later defeated Gambia again 2-0 in 2011 in South Africa when Olanrewaju Kayode and Ramon Azeez scored the two goals That was 12 years ago when they last met.
And now that the Gambians who were only two times Bronze Medalists in 2007 and at the last tournament had clipped off the wings of the Flying Eagles they will need a magic to clinch the Bronze when the team meets Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the 3rd place match on the eve of Nigeria’s Gubernatorial elections on Friday 10th March at 1600 hours.
Nigeria got the Bronze four times in 1995; 2005; 2009 and 2013 She has the highest record in Africa winning the title 7 times in 1983; 1985; 1987; 1989; 2005; 2011; and 2015. Nigeria won Silver in 1999 and 2007 which was the year she edged out Gambia in the Semifinals
The two finalists Cub Lions of Senegal and Scorpions of Gambia meeting on Saturday’s final at 1900 hours have never won the titles before as both teams were Bronze specialists. Senegal won the Bronze thrice in 2015; 2017 and 2019 while Gambia won the Bronze twice in 2007 and at the last tournament in 2021 in Mauritania.
Eniola Olatunji reporting.
#TotalEnergyCAFU20AfricanYouth ChampionshipEgypt2023
