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The defender was named man of the match against Uganda after helping Nigeria to secure a 'dream' ticket to the FIFA World Cup later this year in Indonesia.
Nigerian defender, Abel Ogwuche, says the Flying Eagles have switched focus to bringing back the title at the U-20 AFCON after they secured a ticket to the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
The excited centre back was named man of the match in his first start in the competition as defeated Uganda 1-0 to book a ticket to Indonesia 2023 later this year.
Ogwuche played from start to finish as an own goal from Ibrahim Juma gifted the Flying Eagles the important FIFA U-20 World Cup ticket following a hard-fought encounter at the Suez Canal Stadium on Thursday night.
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Flying Eagles eye AFCON title
After a shaky start to the tournament, Nigeria will be one of four countries that will represent the continent at the U-20 World Cup slated for Indonesia later in the year.
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After the game against Uganda, a visibly Ogwuche said in his post-match press conference, with Pulse Sports in attendance, that he's grateful Nigeria has sealed the World Cup ticket and can now focus on going all out for the AFCON title.
"Thank God it is now a success, we got it (the World Cup ticket) in the end," Ogwuche said. "It is a successful journey. Now, we look forward to taking the trophy back home (to Nigeria)."
The win over Uganda
The Flying Eagles were made to dig deep for the win against their counterparts from Uganda, the Hippos.
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But the U-20 AFCON recond winners built their quarterfinal win on the foundation of a solid defensive display led by Ogwuche.
Speaking further on the victory, the centre back noted they were fully motivated for the game and it is a great feeling to achieve their dream.
"It's a great feeling," the man of the match added. "it was our dream from the start to get the World Cup ticket."
On his performance
Ogwuche started his first game at the U-20 AFCON in Egypt against Uganda after making two substitute appearances.
He went on to deliver a masterclass at the back en route helping Nigeria's Flying Eagles to a clean sheet and win over the Hippos.
Ogwuche, who played from start to finish, made nine clearances, two interceptions and 11 recoveries in the game.
Speaking on his performance, he said it was inspired by the quest to get Nigeria the ticket to Indonesia.
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"It (his performance) was just because of the World Cup ticket," he said. "We had to secure the tciket because for five months we've prepared for that."
Ogwuche and his teammates will now wait for the winner between The Gambia and South Sudan in the semi-finals on Monday, 6 March at the Cairo International Stadium.
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