Ivory Coast 2 Nigeria 0: Flying Eagles beaten by goals from Kader and Cisse; Okoro gives away penalty

In the second pre-u20 Africa Cup of Nations friendly between Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and Ivory Coast’s Young Elephants, it was the Ivorian side that came out on top, securing a 2-0 victory at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Friday.

The match was a competitive affair, with both teams eager to gain the upper hand ahead of the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations. 

The Young Elephants drew first blood in the 17th minute when Tape Yaya Kader opened the scoring. 

Kader’s well-placed shot from outside the box beat Nigeria’s goalkeeper, giving Ivory Coast the lead and setting the tone for the rest of the match.

The Flying Eagles tried to find a response but were unable to break down the Ivorian defense. 

As the game progressed, Ivory Coast looked the more dangerous side, and they doubled their advantage early in the second half. 

In the 53rd minute, the referee pointed to the penalty spot after a foul in the box, which was given away by Odinaka Okoro. Isacc Cisse made no mistake, calmly converting the penalty to put Ivory Coast 2-0 up.

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

The match ended 2-0 in favor of Ivory Coast, leaving the Flying Eagles with lessons to learn ahead of the upcoming AFCON.

Head coach Aliyu Zubairu will look to improve his team’s performance as they head into the tournament. 

The Flying Eagles will face stiff competition in their group with Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa. 

The team head coach will now be hoping his side can bounce back and continue to fine-tune their preparations for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, where only the top two teams will secure spots at the semi-finals and the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

This defeat in the second friendly gives Nigeria valuable insights into areas of improvement as they prepare for the real challenges that lie ahead.

Wale Adejumo

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