S. OchiengAFCON U20: Nigeria, Tunisia battle for bronze medal as tournament nears conclusion
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 10.03.23. | 12:25
The match will be played at the Cairo International Stadium
Nigeria head coach Ladan Bosso has set his sights on clinching the bronze medal when his side take on Tunisia in the 3/4th playoff match at the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Cairo International Stadium.
The record champions Nigeria lost 1-0 in the semi-finals to The Gambia at the same venue and,failed to get the chance of fighting for an eighth title after Adama Bojang scored the lone goal to send the Young Scorpions to their first ever U-20 AFCON final.
THE BATTLE FOR THE BRONZE MEDAL! 🥉🔥#TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 | #TUNNGA pic.twitter.com/TpfY7rAAE6
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) March 10, 2023
Despite the disappointment, the head coach is keen to see his side use the match as their final as they fight for the bronze medal.
"It was unfortunate we lost the semifinals and now we will play the third place match," Bosso told journalists at his pre-match press conference.
"The third place is as good as the final. We believe if we get it right we will take something home and I believe we can put smiles on the faces of football loving Nigerians. We wanted to get something additional but fortunately we didn't get it right," he said.
2019: 🇳🇬 0(3)-0(5) 🇿🇦
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) March 9, 2023
2021: 🇬🇲 0(4)-0(2) 🇹🇳
Penalty shootouts were the decisive factor in the last two #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 third-place playoff 🎯
Will Friday’s game be a different story? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/KCT7fcmuxQ
On the other hand, Tunisia head coach Adel Sellimi has urged his team to go all out on and secure a bronze medal when they face Nigeria.
The Young Carthage Eagles' dreams of playing in the final ended when they lost 3-0 to Senegal in the semi-finals at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia, with goals from Pape Demba Diop and a Lamine Camara brace enough to secure the Teranga Cubs a place in Saturday's final against The Gambia.
"After the psychological shock against Senegal I asked the players to pull themselves together because the competition is not over. The bronze medal is important for the CVs of the players and they must be aware of it," Sellimi said.
"We can't demolish everything because we're not in the final. We have qualified for the World Cup and this group of players can be a base for the future of Tunisian football," he added.
The record champions of the tournament Nigeria have secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia later this year alongside The Gambia, Senegal and Tunisia.
The match will kick off at 5:00pm EAT.
