Nigeria U20 side, the Flying Eagles, put up a spirited performance against Colombia to book a round of 16 date with Argentina at the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, www.aclsports.com reports.
The seven-time African champions played out a 1-1 draw with the South Americans in their final Group F game in Talca. It was Daniel Bameyi’s late penalty that cancelled out Kener Gonzalez’s opener.
Having lost the first game against Norway, and secured a tough win against Saudi Arabia in the second game, the Aliyu Zubair’s side knew at least a draw will help them secure a spot in the next round.
However, it was Nigerian goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt who was called into action in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep the scoreline goalless in Talca. On the other hand, Nigeria’s attacking trio of Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi and Suleman Sani, played their best game yet, as they came close a couple of times as well.
After the restart, Colombia took the lead in the 51st minute when Kener Gonzalez swept the ball home. The Flying Eagles woke up from that setback and started to chase the game as defender Odinaka Okoro was denied by the goalkeeper in the 75th minute.
With four minutes left to play, Tahir Maigana’s effort on goal was handled in the box, and skipper Daniel Bameyi stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way for the equalizer.
Nigeria came close to earning the winner in the 89th minute, but Arierhi’s shot was blocked in the box, as the game finished in a stalemate. Nigeria went on to qualify as one of the best four third-placed teams in the tournament.
Nigeria will now face Argentina at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago on Wednesday. Colombia will confront another African side, South Africa, while Norway will take on Paraguay in the Round of 16.
