Nigeria secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations by drawing 2-2 with Kenya at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Wednesday.
With this result and Morocco’s 3-1 win over Tunisia in another Group B match, Nigeria finished second in the group with five points. Kenya ended their tournament with just one point from three games.
Though already eliminated, Kenya played well and took the lead twice. Kevin Injehu scored a penalty in the sixth minute after a handball by Emmanuel Chukwu was reviewed by VAR.
Nigeria quickly equalized when Kparobo Arierhi scored in the 13th minute after receiving a pass from Simon Cletus. Both teams created chances, and Kenya went ahead again in the 68th minute when substitute William Gitama scored from a set-piece.
But Nigeria equalized just five minutes later. Captain Daniel Bameyi scored a penalty after Rickson Mendos was fouled in the box. Nigeria tried hard for a win in the final minutes, with Divine Oliseh and Tahir Maigana both close to scoring, but Kenya’s defense held strong.
Kenya finished with one point, having scored in all three matches despite being eliminated. Morocco topped Group B with seven points, followed by Nigeria with five points, Tunisia with three, and Kenya with one.
Next, Nigeria will prepare for the quarter-finals and will face an opponent yet to be announced from another group.
