Nigeria bow to Ivory Coast in second-leg of U-20 AFCON preparatory friendly match

In the second pre-U20 Africa Cup of Nations friendly between Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and Ivory Coast’s Young Elephants, it was Ivory Coast who came out on top, winning 2-0 at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Friday.

The match was a competitive one, with both teams eager to gain an advantage ahead of the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ivory Coast took the lead in the 17th minute when Tape Yaya Kader scored with a well-placed shot from outside the box, beating Nigeria’s goalkeeper.

The Flying Eagles tried to respond but couldn’t break through the Ivorian defense.

As the game went on, Ivory Coast looked the more dangerous team, doubling their lead early in the second half. In the 53rd minute, the referee awarded a penalty after Odinaka Okoro fouled an Ivorian player in the box. Isacc Cisse calmly converted the penalty to make it 2-0.

Despite a strong push from Nigeria, who tried to recover, the Young Elephants held firm, and Nigeria’s efforts to get back into the game were unsuccessful.

The match ended 2-0 in favor of Ivory Coast, giving the Flying Eagles some important lessons ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Head coach Aliyu Zubairu will look to improve his team’s performance as they head into the tournament, where they will face tough competition from Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa.

The coach will now be hoping his side can bounce back and continue to prepare for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, where only the top two teams from each group will reach the semi-finals and qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

This defeat in the second friendly gives Nigeria valuable insight into areas they need to improve before the real challenges begin.