Flying Eagles to face Argentina in Round of 16 after draw with Colombia
Seven-time African champions Nigeria put up an impressive performance against Colombia in the early hours of Monday to reach the Round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Chile.
Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt made brilliant saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep the scoreline intact in Talca. The Flying Eagles were the more adventurous side, hitting the upright on several occasions, with Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani in full flow for large stretches of the encounter.
Colombia took the lead in the 51st minute when Kener Gonzalez swept the ball home from an assist by Neyser Villareal. However, the Flying Eagles remained undaunted, launching several attacks against the South Americans at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca.
Defender Odinaka Okoro was denied by the goalkeeper after heading a cross from Maigana in the 76th minute.
The two-time silver medallists finally found their breakthrough with four minutes left in regulation time, when captain Daniel Bameyi sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the penalty spot after a shot by Maigana was handled in the box.
Nigeria almost grabbed the winner in the 89th minute, but Arierhi’s shot was blocked inside the area.
The draw sets up a Round of 16 clash between Nigeria and Argentina at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago on Wednesday. It will be a repeat of the quarter-final pairing from the last championship hosted by Argentina, which Nigeria won 2-0 in San Juan.
Colombia will face another African side, South Africa, while Norway will take on Paraguay in the Round of 16.
