Nigeria’s U-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, are into the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations U-20 tournament and qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Senegal.
The evenly contested knockout stage encounter ended goalless after regular and extra time, with both teams unable to find the back of the net.
Ultimately, Nigeria triumphed 3–1 in the penalty shootout.
The match, held in the knockout stage of the continental youth championship, saw the two sides end the game in a stalemate throughout regulation and extra time.
Despite numerous attempts from both sides, neither team could break the deadlock, leading to a penalty decider.
Nigeria converted three of their spot-kicks, while Senegal managed only one, with product of Sporting Lagos, Ebenezar Harcourt saving two penalties to help the Flying Eagles seal the win and progress to the last four of the competition.
The result not only means Nigeria are into the semifinals of the U-20 AFCON but also confirms their place in the upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile later this year.