Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have secured a spot in the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile after a 1-1 draw with Colombia in the early hours of Monday.
The game, played at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, saw both teams display strong attacking play, but Nigeria’s goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt was key in keeping the scoreline level with two vital saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes.
Despite Colombia’s early pressure, the Flying Eagles looked more creative in attack, with Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani testing the Colombian defence several times and hitting the woodwork on a few occasions.
Colombia took the lead in the 51st minute when Kener Gonzalez finished off a pass from Neyser Villareal to put his side 1-0 ahead.
Nigeria refused to back down and continued to push for an equaliser. Defender Odinaka Okoro almost leveled the score with a powerful header in the 76th minute that went narrowly wide.
Their effort paid off late in the game when team captain Daniel Bameyi scored from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after a Colombian defender handled Maigana’s goal-bound shot inside the box.
The Flying Eagles nearly grabbed a winning goal in the 89th minute, but Arierhi’s strike was blocked by a Colombian defender.
With the draw, Nigeria advanced to the knockout stage and will face Argentina on Wednesday at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago. The matchup will be a repeat of their quarter-final clash from the last U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where Nigeria defeated the hosts 2–0 in San Juan.
Colombia will now play against South Africa, while Norway will take on Paraguay in the other Round of 16 fixtures.
