The Nigerian Flying Eagles stunned Argentina, the hosts of the 2023 Under-20 World Cup, by knocking them out of the competition in spectacular fashion.
Argentina is not only the host of the Under-20 World Cup; given their recent form, they are also the favorites to win the tournament. The team scored ten goals and conceded only one during the group stage. They also defeated all three clubs in their group, leading many observers to believe that the Flying Eagles would be easy prey.
Nigeria finished third in Group D, on equal points with first-placed Brazil and second-placed Italy, after winning two games and losing their final group game against Italy.
Interestingly, as coach Ladan Bosso stated ahead of the Under-20 World Cup round of 16, the Flying Eagles proved to Argentina that they are no pushovers.
The first half of the game ended in a stalemate. The Nigerian Flying Eagles took the lead in the 61st minute thanks to a goal from Ibrahim Mohammed.
Argentina then attempted to equalize, but to no avail, as the Flying Eagles of Nigeria ended the regular 90-minute period with a 1-0 lead.
Just when the Argentines thought they had seen the worst, coach Bosso’s boys doubled their lead in the extra minute, thanks to Haliru Sarki’s strike, as Nigeria advanced to the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory.
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