Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have booked their place in the Round of 16 at the ongoing 24th FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, following a spirited 1–1 draw with Colombia in the early hours of Monday.
The match, played at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, saw Nigeria put up a resilient display, with goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt making key saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep the game level during a tense first half.
Despite Colombia’s early dominance, the Flying Eagles grew into the game, with Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani creating several chances and hitting the woodwork more than once.
Colombia took the lead in the 51st minute through Kener Gonzalez, who finished neatly from a Neyser Villareal assist.
Nigeria, however, fought back late in the game. Their persistence paid off in the 86th minute when captain Daniel Bameyi converted from the penalty spot after a Colombian defender handled Maigana’s goal-bound shot.
The Flying Eagles almost found a dramatic winner three minutes later, but Arierhi’s effort was blocked inside the area.
With the draw, Nigeria secured qualification for the knockout stage, where they will face Argentina on Wednesday at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago.
The fixture is a repeat of their quarter-final clash from the last U-20 World Cup hosted by Argentina, which the Flying Eagles won 2–0 in San Juan.
Elsewhere, Colombia will take on South Africa, while Norway faces Paraguay in other Round of 16 fixtures.
