U20 Afcon Nigeria 2 Kenya 2: Five observations from Flying Eagles' draw against Rising Stars

Nigeria secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria following a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Kenya's Rising Stars at the 30 June Stadium.

The Flying Eagles came from behind twice in the match, showing resilience after Kévin Wangaya Injehu put Kenya ahead from the penalty spot. 

Kparobo Nathaniel Arierhi equalized for Nigeria in the first half, restoring parity with a composed finish.

In the second half, William Gitamu struck in the 68th minute to restore Kenya’s lead, but Nigeria responded swiftly. Team captain Daniel Bameyi converted a penalty just five minutes later to make it 2-2.

The result sees Nigeria finish second in the group standings, booking their place in the quarterfinals, thanks to Morocco’s victory over Tunisia in the other group fixture. 

Allnigeriasoccer.com highlights five observations from the match.

Kparobo Arierhi shows glimpse of potential

Kparobo Nathaniel Arierhi, widely regarded as a rising star ahead of the tournament, finally offered a glimpse of his potential with an encouraging performance.

The young forward opened his goal account in the first half and was a constant threat, making intelligent runs behind the Kenyan defence, though his teammates struggled to pick him out.

Having been benched in the previous match against Morocco, Arierhi’s display marks a positive sign for the Flying Eagles and hints at more to come as the tournament progresses.

Flying Eagles struggle with final ball

Despite scoring twice in their win over Kenya, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles showed clear deficiencies in the final third, particularly in delivering decisive passes and quality crosses.

Throughout the match, the Flying Eagles frequently struggled with their final balls—many of their attacking passes were either intercepted or poorly measured, failing to reach the intended targets.

The right fullbacks were especially disappointing in providing quality deliveries into the box. 

Adamu Maigari, who started the game at right-back, was substituted in the second half after repeatedly failing to supply effective crosses.

His replacement, Chigozie Michael Ihejiofor, also found it difficult to contain the offensive pressure from Kenya and offered little in attack, despite getting into promising positions.

William Gitamu torments Nigeria's defence

Kenya’s William Gitamu proved to be a constant menace down the flank, consistently beating Nigeria’s left-back, Okoro, and creating dangerous opportunities, especially in the second half.

Gitamu’s relentless attacking runs paid off when he found himself unmarked at the back post to slot home Kenya’s second goal from a well-delivered free-kick, capping off an impressive performance.

Kenya scores first again, earns first point of the tournament

Kenya continued their trend of scoring first at the ongoing AFCON U20 tournament in Egypt, but once again failed to hold on for victory.

After taking the lead in their previous matches against Morocco and Tunisia—both ending in defeat—the East Africans struck first against Nigeria as well.

Despite a spirited performance and twice leading the Flying Eagles, Kenya were held to a 2-2 draw, earning their first point of the competition.

Kenya U20 can take pride in their improved showing, even though the result was not enough to secure progression to the knockout stage.

Their campaign ends with one point from three matches, but they exit with valuable experience and a historic first point on the continental stage.

Referee makes correct penalty decisions

The match featured two crucial penalty decisions, both correctly judged by the referee after VAR reviews.

In the first half, Nigeria’s Chukwu was initially penalized for a foul just outside the box. 

However, VAR revealed the infringement occurred inside the area, leading the referee to overturn his initial decision and award a penalty to Kenya.

Later in the second half, the Flying Eagles were awarded a penalty of their own after Rickson Theophilus Mendos was tripped inside the Kenyan box. 

The referee made the correct call again without the need for VAR intervention.

Despite the controversy surrounding both incidents, the referee's decisions were ultimately accurate and had a significant impact on the result of the match.

Adeyemi Adewale

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