By Emmanuel Yaw Nkansah
The 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations got off to a bit of a slow start on Sunday as Egypt played out a goalless draw with Mozambique.
In the other Group A fixture, Nigeria’s campaign got off to a bad start as they were defeated by an efficient Senegal side.
Egypt totally dominated Mozambique in the tournament opener, controlling ball possession and creating way more goal-scoring opportunities. That dominance, however, was short-lived, as Mozambique’s impressive defense ensured that 8 of the Egyptians’ 9 shots on goal were off target.
In a match which saw a grand total of two shots on target, split evenly between the two sides, Mozambique was content to cede most of the ball possession to Egypt, perhaps out of necessity as they were unable to match the pace and possessive ability of their opponents. Inability to match their opponents’ attacking prowess aside, their defense proved strong enough to ward off the Egyptian offensive and claim a point in a game which they were expected to lose.
Nigeria’s bid for an 8th U-20 Afcon title got off to the worst possible start as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat in their first game of the tournament in Group A.
Nigeria had a slight edge over their Senegalese opponents but were unable to utilize that advantage to defeat their opponents in what was a fairly balanced match. A goal from Senegalese forward Souleymane Faye in the 40th minute with what was his only attempt at goal in the game was enough to help Senegal claim victory over their Nigerian opponents. Nigeria did try to find a way back into the game but were unable to turn their goal-scoring opportunities into actual goal.
However, a red card for substitute Ahmed Abdullahi in the 96th minute for persistent fouling after he had been yellow-carded five minutes earlier was the cherry on top of a most undesirable cake for Nigeria.
Nigeria would need to beat Egypt or at least force a draw to keep their title hopes alive, while a win against Mozambique could see Senegal become the first country to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition.
The hosts would not be keen on allowing the Nigerians to use them as a stepping stone to revive their currently flatlining tournament campaign, however, and will instead look to defeat them to further their own title ambitions. You can catch all the action from Group B where Uganda and the Central African Republic lock horns, while South Sudan and Congo also clash, live on GTV Sports+.
