Nigeria’s Flying Eagles booked their place in the Round of 16 at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile following a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Colombia in the early hours of Monday.
In a contest full of intensity at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, Nigeria’s seven-time African champions displayed grit and attacking intent throughout the match. Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt produced crucial saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep the South Americans at bay early on.
The Flying Eagles, however, were the more adventurous side in large spells of the encounter. Close efforts from Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani kept the Colombian defence on edge, with Nigeria hitting the woodwork on more than one occasion.
Colombia took the lead in the 51st minute through Kener Gonzalez, who finished off a clever assist from Neyser Villareal. But Nigeria remained undeterred, piling pressure with wave after wave of attack.
Defender Odinaka Okoro came close to equalising in the 76th minute, rising to meet a cross from Maigana only to be denied by the Colombian goalkeeper.
The breakthrough finally arrived with just four minutes left in regulation time. After Maigana’s shot was handled in the box, captain Daniel Bameyi calmly converted from the penalty spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the score.
Nigeria nearly snatched a late winner in the 89th minute, but Arierhi’s effort was blocked in a crowded box.
The result sets up a mouthwatering Round of 16 clash between Nigeria and Argentina at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago on Wednesday—a rematch of the quarter-final meeting the last time Argentina hosted the tournament, where Nigeria emerged 2-0 winners in San Juan.
Elsewhere, Colombia will face South Africa, while Norway will take on Paraguay in the knockout round.
