The Flying Eagles returned to the country on Monday evening after winning the bronze medals at the just-concluded Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cairo, Egypt.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the contingent of the third-place winners arrived at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport in Abuja aboard a commercial flight.
One of the midfielders, Solomon Anya, said the team was happy to have clinched a World Cup ticket for the country during the competition.
“I am happy that we qualified for the World Cup.
“We played our best to win the tournament, but that is football because our best was not enough,” he said.
NAN reports that the Flying Eagles played in Group A of the tournament alongside eventual winners Senegal, Mozambique and hosts Egypt.
The Flying Eagles lost their first match against Senegal 0-1, but pipped hosts Egypt 1-0 in their second game.
They then beat Mozambique 2-0 to qualify for the quater-finals against Uganda whom they beat 1-0, before falling 0-1 to Gambia in the semi-finals of the competition.
The team however redeemed themselves in the third-place match when they walloped Tunisia 4-0.
Aside winning the third-place match, the Flying Eagles also bagged the Fair Play award at the competition organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The team were adjudged the most disciplined team in the competition and we’re rewarded for their good sportsmanship.
The team skipper, Daniel Bamaiyi, received the award on behalf of the team during the competition’s closing ceremony on Saturday night.
Also, defenders Augustine Njoku and Solomon Agbalaka made the CAF Best XI of the 2023 Under-20 AFCON in Egypt.
NAN reports that Senegal on Saturday emerged winners of the competition after defeating The Gambia 2-0 in the final match
The Flying Eagles have however qualified for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia in May.(NAN)
