AFCON U-20: Abel Ogwuche named man of the match in Flying Eagles full debut
Reveals frustration at sitting on the bench
Abel Ogwuche has been named the man of the match as Nigeria U-20 defeated Uganda U-20 1-0 in Ismailia on Thursday at the ongoing AFCON U-20 to book a place in the semifinal and FIFA U-20 World Cup.
An own goal from Uganda defender Ibrahim Juma and a good defensive display from the Nigeria U-20 team led by Abel Ogwuche was enough on the day.
Abel Ogwuche who found his way into the starting XI in place of Flying Eagles’ suspended captain, Daniel Bamaiyi, gave a good account of himself with his excellent display.
The Trelleborgs FF defender had only played for a total of four minutes in the Flying Eagles’ last three group games before dropping a masterclass against Uganda on Thursday in the quarterfinal.
He was an unused substitute in Flying Eagles’ 1-0 defeat to Senegal, played for three minutes against Egypt U-20, and just one minute against Mozambique U-20.
But on the most important day so far, he stepped in and was excellent.
Meet your #UGANGA TotalEnergies Man of the Match: congratulations, Abel Ogwuche! 😍🏅#TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/z2AtqL3hDI
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) March 2, 2023
Ogwueche told Soccernet of the frustration of sitting down on the bench.
“Very tough I must confess. I always want to play,” Ogwuche told Soccernet
“When you have to see your team-mates from the bench it is not easy but I was always behind the team and was waiting for my chance.
“My chance came today [vs Uganda] and I took it as if my life depended on it. A big thanks to coach [Ladan] Bosso for the trust and congratulations to us for picking a World Cup ticket.
“I feel so happy to be named man-of-the-match because I have been working so hard.
“We pushed very hard to win the game because the Ugandans were tough and they created moments of panic.
“This is a dream come true for me and I promise to get even better if given the nod in our next outing.”
Highlight Uganda U20 0-1 Nigeria U-20
📹 HIGHLIGHTS: 🇺🇬 0-1 🇳🇬
The Flying Eagles reach the #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 semi-finals at the expense of 2021 finalists 🦅 @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/cHNFaO0rf8
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) March 2, 2023
Nigeria U-20 will play in the semifinal on Monday against the winners of Friday’s quarterfinal game between Gambia and South Sudan.
