Nigeria U-20 captain, Ikouwen Udoh, has expressed his joy at his team’s qualification for the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations. The Flying Eagles beat Mauritania 5-0 in Lagos on Saturday to secure a 6-1 aggregate triumph and have therefore, secured a place at the finals.
Nazifi Yahaya scored a hat-trick while Afeez Aremu and Wasiu Alalade also got on the score sheet to seal an emphatic win for the hosts.
Ikowen Udoh said that the team had their back against the wall following their 1-1 draw in the first leg in Mauritania.
“We had no choice other than to beat Mauritania in Lagos after we played a draw in the first leg. I am excited that did just that,” Udoh told Complete Sports Nigeria.
“We didn’t have good game because of the wet pitch, but we got the job done.
“The first goal settled any fright we had because the Mauritanian team was a tough side.”
The 2019 U-20 AFCON will be held in Niger from February 24 to March 10 2019. The top four teams will advance to the U-20 World Cup in Poland in May and June, 2019.
