Abel Ogwuche has been named the man of the match as Nigeria U-20 defeated Uganda U-20 1-0 in Ismailia on Thursday at the ongoing AFCON U-20 to book a place in the semifinal and FIFA U-20 World Cup.
An own goal from Uganda defender Ibrahim Juma and a good defensive display from the Nigeria U-20 team led by Abel Ogwuche was enough on the day.
Abel Ogwuche who found his way into the starting XI in place of Flying Eagles’ suspended captain, Daniel Bamaiyi, gave a good account of himself with his excellent display.
The Trelleborgs FF defender had only played for a total of four minutes in the Flying Eagles’ last three group games before dropping a masterclass against Uganda on Thursday in the quarterfinal.
He was an unused substitute in Flying Eagles’ 1-0 defeat to Senegal, played for three minutes against Egypt U-20, and just one minute against Mozambique U-20.
But on the most important day so far, he stepped in and was excellent.
Meet your #UGANGA TotalEnergies Man of the Match: congratulations, Abel Ogwuche! 😍🏅#TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 | @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/z2AtqL3hDI
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) March 2, 2023
Ogwueche told Soccernet of the frustration of sitting down on the bench.
“Very tough I must confess. I always want to play,” Ogwuche told Soccernet
“When you have to see your team-mates from the bench it is not easy but I was always behind the team and was waiting for my chance.
“My chance came today [vs Uganda] and I took it as if my life depended on it. A big thanks to coach [Ladan] Bosso for the trust and congratulations to us for picking a World Cup ticket.
“I feel so happy to be named man-of-the-match because I have been working so hard.
“We pushed very hard to win the game because the Ugandans were tough and they created moments of panic.
“This is a dream come true for me and I promise to get even better if given the nod in our next outing.”
Highlight Uganda U20 0-1 Nigeria U-20
📹 HIGHLIGHTS: 🇺🇬 0-1 🇳🇬
The Flying Eagles reach the #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 semi-finals at the expense of 2021 finalists 🦅 @Football2Gether pic.twitter.com/cHNFaO0rf8
— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) March 2, 2023
Nigeria U-20 will play in the semifinal on Monday against the winners of Friday’s quarterfinal game between Gambia and South Sudan.