Safiu Kehinde
Flying Eagles of Nigeria sent shock waves into the spine of over 25,000 Argentines following a stunning 2-0 victory against the host country to advance to the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
It was a night to forget at San Juan Province as the young La Albiceleste poised as one of the favourites to win the prestigious trophy bowed out of the tournament on their own turf.
Two second-half goals from Ibrahim Muhammed and Riliwanu Sarki saw the Flying Eagles through to the last eight at the expense of the tournament’s most successful country.
As expected, the Argentines led by former Argentina International, Javier Mascherano, showcased their dominance all through the 90 minutes of play.
They seemed to have derived inspiration from their World Cup winning Senior team and the mammoth supporters at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, amassing 66 percent possession as against Nigeria’s 34 percent.
Unfortunately, they were unable to get the best out of the defiant Bosso-led Flying Eagles who put two goals past the Argentines.
The Flying Eagles of Nigeria had to wait till the 61st minutes to break the deadlock.
Umeh Emmanuel had capitalized on a counterattack, slotting the ball through the waiting legs of Ibrahim Muhammed who neatly chipped the ball into the back of the net to out the home crowd at the edge of their seats.
The Argentines increased the tempo against Nigeria’s defence and nearly found an equalizer in the 84th minute. But Luka Romero’s attempt could only hit the woodwork.
With six minutes added extra-time left, Mascherano’s boys were still keen on keeping their hopes alive.
They were, however, caught off guard as another counter-attack from the Flying Eagles saw Riliwanu Sarki put an icing on the cake with a stunning header, securing the last eight slot for Nigeria.