Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have advanced to the Round of 16 of the ongoing 24th FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Colombia in the early hours of Monday.
At the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, the seven-time African champions put on a spirited effort, with goalie Ebenezer Harcourt making important saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep the scores level during a tight first half.
Despite Colombia’s early pressure, the Nigerians were the more inventive team, with Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani continuously unsettling the South American defenders and hitting the post on many occasions.
Colombia broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Kener Gonzalez converted from Neyser Villareal’s assist.
Undeterred, the Flying Eagles applied persistent pressure, and defender Odinaka Okoro went close with a header in the 76th minute.
Nigeria’s perseverance paid off in the 86th minute, when captain Daniel Bameyi calmly converted from the penalty spot after a Colombian defender touched Maigana’s goal-bound shot.
The Nigerians came close to a late winner, but Arierhi’s attempt in the 89th minute was blocked inside the area.
Nigeria will now meet Argentina in the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago on Wednesday, a rematch of the quarter-final match from Argentina’s previous U20 World Cup, which the Flying Eagles won 2-0 in San Juan.
In other Round of 16 matches, Colombia will face South Africa, while Norway will play Paraguay.
