Flying Eagles after the win, will now meet the winner of the match between Uruguay and Korea Republic in the quarter-final
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria against all odds advanced to the Round of 8 of the FIFA U20 World Cup going on in Argentina.
The west African side defeated tournament host and sixth-time record winner of the competition, Argentina 2-0 in front of a packed Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario. on Wednesday night.
Coming into the encounter, Ladan Bosso’s men qualified for the Round of 16 as one of the best losers, having finished third in Group D behind Brazil and Italy who finished first and second respectively.
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Nigerian began the game the brightest of the two sides as they dominated the early exchanges through high press and ball possession.
They were almost rewarded in the 22nd minute, but Solomon Agbalaka’s chance to put Nigeria ahead after a free-kick from Tochukwu Nnadi was flagged for offside.
Argentina got back into the game at the later stage of the first half and came close after Veliz and Carboni combined to get a goal, but their effort was well dealt with by the Nigerian defenders.
The Flying Eagles, however, opened scoring in the 61st minute when Ibrahim Muhammad received a through pass and fired past goalkeeper Gomes.
The host after conceding the goal put up a fight and fired from all cylinders, but the Nigerian defence remained resolute and denied them the opportunity to get a leveler.
Nigeria then doubled their advantage in the second minute of added time through Rilwanu Sakhi and held on to ensure they move into the quarter-final stage.
With the impressive win, the Flying Eagles will now face the winner between Uruguay and Korea Republic in the quarter-final.
