Ogwuche feeling great about Flying Eagles’ semi-final qualification

Flying Eagles’ defender Abel Ogwuche says beating Uganda in their Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinal fixture on Thursday in Ismailia is a great feeling.

The defender who was named Man of the Match in the thrilling encounter at the Suez Canal Stadium said the whole experience was made better by qualification for the World Cup.

“It is a great feeling to win, and it was our dream from the start of the tournament to get the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup ticket.

”Now, we are looking forward to taking the trophy home,” Ogwuche said during the post-match news conference.

Ibrahim Juma scored an own goal in the first half to send Nigeria to the semi-finals of the biennial Under-20 AFCON.

“We just wanted to come and win. That was our motivation today, to secure the World Cup ticket, and we made it,” Ogwuche said with a broad smile.

“We had to secure our place in the World Cup. That’s why we all put in a strong performance to win.”

Nigeria will face the winners between The Gambia and South Sudan in the semi-finals on Monday at the Cairo International Stadium at 19:00 local time (17:00 GMT, 6 p.m. Nigeria time).