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Nduka Ugbade’s men lost the top-of-the-table group B clash against Morocco on Wednesday evening.
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets' quest to win the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup took a major blow on Wednesday after they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Morocco in their Group B encounter.
Nigeria suffer a setback in AFCON U-17 title quest
The Golden Eaglets had kicked off their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Zambia and went into the clash against Morocco seeking to take control of group B.
However, they suffered an undeserving 1-0 defeat in a match that was billed as the top-of-the-table clash, as Morocco had beaten South Africa 2-0 in their opener.
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19:13 - 03.05.2023
U17 AFCON: Wasteful Golden Eaglets pay price as Morocco beat Nigeria
Nigeria's quest for a third U-17 AFCON title suffered a setback after the Golden Eaglets lost to Morocco.
Nduka Ugbade’s men dominated the match from start to finish and were unlucky to lose by the odd goal.
The Atlas Cubs took the lead as early as the second minute after Tochukwu Joseph Ogboji directed the ball into his net.
Although the Golden Eaglets went in search of an equaliser, going close on many occasions, they could not find the goal.
The result means Ugbade’s men stay second in their group, but their qualification hopes now hang in the balance.
Nigeria to battle South Africa for AFCON U-17 quarter-final ticket
Nigeria are currently on the same number of points as South Africa in their group after the Bafana Bafana boys edged out Zambia 3-2.
But the two-time African champions stay second because of a better goal difference. Still, Nigeria’s quest to reach the quarter-finals is not guaranteed yet, as they will need to at least get a point in their final match against South Africa to seal their spot.
However, if the Golden Eaglets lose to their rivals in the final group game, they could miss out on qualification depending on the results from other groups.
The top two teams qualify automatically from the three groups, with two third-best-place teams joining them in the quarter-final.
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18:30 - 02.05.2023
U-17 AFCON: Cameroon youngster Yondjo eyeing Victor Osimhen’s record
En route to a fourth-place finish at the 2015 edition of the U-17 AFCON in Niger Republic, Napoli's Victor Osimhen had scored four goals for Nigeria's Golden Eaglets.
A loss for Nigeria in the final group game will see them remain on three points, and that may not be enough to guarantee one of the two third-best-place teams' spot, although it looks unlikely.
If Nduka Ugbade’s men fail in their quest to qualify for the quarter-final, it means they will miss out on World Cup qualification, as only the top four sides are assured of a spot at the FIFA U-17 World Cup later this year.
Nigeria’s final group game against South Africa will take place on Saturday, May 6, with kick-off set for 8 PM Nigerian time.
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