THE Nigerian Golden Eaglets have qualified for the quarter-finals of the ongoing U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, (AFCON) after they staged a comeback against South Africa to win 3-2 on Saturday night in Constantine, Algeria.
The final Group B encounter witnessed a keenly contested battle between the two teams as South Africa’s Vicky Mkhawana gave his team the lead in the 6th minute.
The Golden Eaglets replied with a goal through Charles Agada in the 34th minute to restore parity to give the Nduka Ugbade coached team hopes of qualification.
But at the end of the first half, South Africa’s Siyabonga Mabena powered home a shot from outside the 18 yard area after rounding up three Nigerian defenders.
A minute after the resumption of the second half Nigeria’s forward Light Eke scored the equaliser and Abubakar Abduallahi’s goal in the 64th minute sealed the victory for the Golden Eaglets.
Nigeria finished second on the log with 6 points. It would be recalled that they won Zambia 1-0 in their first group match and lost to Morocco in the second encounter.
