Egypt 2025: Kenya on firing line as Flying Eagles aspire to celebrate 100th AFCON match

Posted : 07 May 2025

Kenya’s Rising Stars are right in the firing line as seven-time champions and two-time runners-up Nigeria are determined to celebrate their 100th match in the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations with a win in downtown Cairo on Wednesday evening.

The clash, one of the final games in Group B of the ongoing CAF U-20 Championship, is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. Nigeria time. It carries different stakes for both teams: Kenya needs a convincing win to stand a chance of progressing to the quarterfinals, while the Flying Eagles require only a draw.

Second-placed Nigeria, on four points, will advance to the last eight if they secure a draw, which would take their tally to five points and guarantee progression regardless of the result in the match between first-placed Morocco and third-placed Tunisia.

A win for Morocco would take them to seven points and keep three-point Tunisia in third place, while a draw would give Morocco five points from three matches and leave Tunisia at four. A win for Tunisia would move the Junior Carthage Eagles to six points and drop the Lion Cubs to third place.

With 19 teams participating in the tournament and teams divided into three pools, the top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarterfinals.

Despite their potential, the Rising Stars have failed to shine in Cairo, losing a five-goal thriller to Morocco on the opening day and falling short in a 1-3 loss to Tunisia on Sunday.

A win against Nigeria would be a huge achievement for Kenya, who have historically struggled against Nigerian opposition on the pitch.

Their first three encounters, between 1968 and 1991, were friendly matches, with Nigeria winning twice in Nairobi and the third ending in a 1-1 draw. In a 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Nairobi in April 1985, goals by Fatai Amao, Rashidi Yekini, and a Hussein Khari own goal gave Nigeria a 3-0 win. In the return leg in Lagos, Yekini and Dr. Joe Masiga each scored a brilliant goal, while Dahiru Sadi and Yisa Sofoluwe added to Nigeria’s tally for a 3-1 victory.

Nigeria also won 3-0 and 2-1 in the 1988 and 1992 AFCON group-stage matches, respectively. In a 1998 World Cup qualifying fixture, both teams drew 1-1 in Nairobi before Nigeria secured a 3-0 win in Lagos to qualify for France 1998.

Nigeria claimed friendly wins in 2002, 2007, and 2011, and beat Kenya both home (3-0) and away (3-2) to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.

In 2013, a 1-1 draw in Calabar and a 1-0 win in Nairobi during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers confirmed Nigeria’s dominance. During qualification for the 1996 Olympic Games, both teams drew 1-1 in Nigeria, but the Dream Team crushed their hosts 3-0 in Mombasa.

The Flying Eagles will be eager to reinforce this historical superiority on Wednesday, aiming to celebrate their 100th AFCON match with a win and a possible top finish in Group B.

Egypt 2025: Kenya on firing line as Flying Eagles aspire to celebrate 100th AFCON match

ADD A COMMENT :

Hot Topics