President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has expressed his delight as the Flying Eagles booked their place at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, following a hard-fought quarter-final victory over defending champions Senegal at the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The tightly contested encounter, held at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia, ended goalless after extra time and was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout.
Nigeria held their nerve to win 3-1, knocking out the tournament holders and sealing a semi-final berth — along with a ticket to the global showpiece in Chile next year.
Reacting to the result, Gusau praised the players and coaching staff for their resilience and composure under pressure, but was quick to shift focus to the next target.
“The ticket to the World Cup was the first objective, and we have achieved that,” Gusau said. “The second objective is to win the trophy, and after congratulating the team for their effort, I have reminded them that the country is waiting for them to bring the trophy back home.”
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The victory means Nigeria — seven-time African champions at U20 level and two-time runners-up at the FIFA U-20 World Cup — are one of four African nations to have secured qualification for the 2025 tournament.
Joining them are hosts Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco, each of whom emerged victorious in their respective quarter-final clashes.
South Africa edged the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 to set up a semi-final showdown with Nigeria. Egypt endured a nail-biting contest against Ghana, surviving a dramatic comeback to win 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Morocco, meanwhile, saw off Sierra Leone with a narrow 1-0 victory.
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The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, with Nigeria facing South Africa at 6:00 PM local time (4:00 PM Nigeria time), while Egypt and Morocco will battle in a highly anticipated North African derby at 9:00 PM.
