The Nigeria U20s consolidated their leadership of Group A with a 2-2 draw with Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday and will know their semifinal opponents on Sunday, when Ghana and Mali do battle for the leadership of Group B.
The Flying Eagles will clash with the runners-up of Group B on Wednesday in Dakar in the semifinal of the AYC.
Both Ghana and Mali are tied on six points apiece, but the Black Satellites are top of the standings because they have scored more goals than the Malians.
“We are in Senegal to qualify for the World Cup as African champions and if you want to be champions, you have to be prepared to meet any team. So whether Ghana or Mali, we’re ready,” said Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba.
The coach admitted his team struggled to find their bearing in the first half against Cote d’Ivoire because they made four changes to their starting team and they conceded two soft goals.
“We did not start well after we made four changes meaning it was a new experience for some of the players and then we conceded two goals from defensive mistakes,” he said.
“We played to win but we ended up with a draw to keep our national pride intact.”
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