Amid political a pall of political gloom, Nigerians are excited at the prospects of Flying Eagles at the on-going Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) holding in Egypt.

Fans who spoke to our reporters at different viewing centres said they were happy to see the Flying Eagles take Nigeria to the semi-final stage in the midst of political uncertainty at home.

Flying Eagles’ defender Abel Ogwuche had said that beating Uganda 1-0 in their Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final fixture on Thursday in Ismailia is a great feeling.

The defender who was named Man of the Match in the thrilling match at the Suez Canal Stadium said the whole experience was made better by qualification for the World Cup.

“It is a great feeling to win and it was our dream from the start of the tournament to get the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup ticket.

”Now, we are looking forward to taking the trophy home,” Ogwuche said during the post-match news conference.

Ibrahim Juma scored an own goal in the first half to send Nigeria to the semi-finals of the biennial Under-20 AFCON.

“We just wanted to come and win. That was our motivation today, to secure the World Cup ticket and we made it,” Ogwuche said with a broad smile.

Nigeria will face the winners between The Gambia and South Sudan in the semi-finals on Monday at the Cairo International Stadium at 1900 local time (1700 GMT, 1800 Nigeria time).(NAN)