Argentina Humble Flying Eagles To End Nigeria’s U-20 World Cup Journey

Nigeria’s dream of making history at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile came to a heartbreaking end after Argentina handed the Flying Eagles a 4-0 defeat in the round of 16 in Santiago.

The South Americans were too sharp, too composed, and far more clinical against the Flying Eagles on Wednesday night. They struck twice in each half to send Aliyu Zubairu’s side packing and book their place in the quarter-finals.

It took only two minutes for Argentina to set the tone. Alejo Sarco ghosted into the box and calmly tucked in Dylan Gorosito’s low cross, leaving goalkeeper Ebenezar Harcourt stranded and the Nigerian defence in disarray. From that point, the Flying Eagles were chasing shadows.

Argentina doubled their lead midway through the first half when Maher Carrizo curled a free-kick beautifully into the bottom corner from just outside the box. Harcourt could only watch as the ball nestled into the net.

Nigeria’s best moment before the break came through Daniel Daga, who showed great control to chest down a loose ball inside the area before smashing a volley towards goal. His effort looked destined for the top corner until Santino Barbi produced a stunning one-handed save to deny him.

After the restart, Argentina picked up exactly where they left off. Their pressing and quick transitions forced Nigeria into costly mistakes. Ten minutes into the second half, Milton Delgado stole possession from Daga in midfield and slipped a clever pass through to Carrizo, who made no mistake, rolling the ball past Harcourt for his second goal of the night.

It got worse for Nigeria in the 66th minute. Mateo Silvetti received a crossfield ball on the right, breezed past Daniel Bameyi and curled a precise finish into the far corner to make it 4-0. The Flying Eagles looked stunned and at a loss for ideas.

Coach Zubairu rang the changes, bringing on Abduljelil Kamaldeen, Auwal Ibrahim and Charles Agada, but the game had already slipped away. Late efforts from Kparobo Arierhi and Haruna Aliyu failed to trouble Barbi, while Argentina managed the closing stages with composure, knocking the ball around and frustrating their opponents.

Frustration began to show, with Nasiru Salihu and Emmanuel Ekele both picking up yellow cards in the second half. VAR briefly reviewed a possible penalty for Nigeria earlier in the game, but the referee waved play on after checking the monitor.

Despite flashes of individual quality from Daga and Maigana, Nigeria never looked settled. The defensive lapses and lack of coordination were punished mercilessly by an Argentine side who are yet to lose a game in the tournament.

Argentina will now face Mexico in the quarter-finals as they continue their chase for another U-20 title.