South Korea have emerged as the quarterfinal opponent for Nigeria’s Flying Eagles at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.
The Asians set up a date with seven-time African champions, Nigeria, after they overcame better-rated Ecuador 3-2 in their Round of 16 tie late on Thursday night.
The quarterfinal game between South Korea and Nigeria is scheduled for Sunday, 4 June, at the Santiago del Estero Stadium.
Both Nigeria and Korea have enjoyed a phenomenal run in Argentina, as only a few pundits gave the two countries the chance to make it to the last eight.
The Koreans started their campaign at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a shock 2-1 win over France. In their second match, they drew 2-2 with Honduras and stamped their round of 16 ticket with another draw against The Gambia.
Meanwhile, Nigeria, with back-to-back wins over the Dominican Republic and Italy stamped their second-round ticket but they crashed from first place to third when they lost 2-0 to Brazil. Nigeria qualified for the knockout phase as one of the best losing teams.
Faced with the daunting task of playing the tournament hosts in the Round of 16, the Flying Eagles shocked the form books by beating Argentina 2-0.
That victory meant the Nigerian team were in the quarterfinal stage for the first time in 12 years. Last time out in 2011, the Flying Eagles lost 3-2 to France in extra time. Coach Bosso had also led his Flying Eagles in 2005 to the quarterfinal stage, where they lost 4-0 to Chile, also after extra time.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles are the only African team still standing in Argentina, as African champions Senegal were eliminated in the group stage while Tunisia and Gambia lost their respective round of 16 matches against Brazil and Uruguay, respectively.
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