Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have arrived in Santiago, Chile, forward of their Spherical of 16 conflict with match favourites Argentina on the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup.
The Nigerian crew landed in Chile’s capital on Tuesday afternoon after finishing their group stage marketing campaign in Talca, the place they secured qualification as the most effective third-placed groups.
Aliyu Zubairu’s facet confirmed nice dedication in Group F, bouncing again from a slender 1–0 defeat to Norway with an exhilarating 3–2 win over Saudi Arabia, earlier than a hard-fought 1–1 draw with Colombia sealed their place within the knockout stage.
Their subsequent problem is a troublesome one — going through Argentina, who dominated Group D with victories over Cuba (3–1), Australia (4–1) and Italy (1–0). The extremely anticipated match will happen on Wednesday on the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago.
This fixture brings again recollections of the 2023 Spherical of 16 assembly between each nations, when the Flying Eagles shocked Argentina 2–0 in San Juan, with objectives from Ibrahim Beji Muhammad and Rilwanu Sarki beneath then coach Ladan Bosso.
Whether or not historical past can repeat itself stays to be seen, however head coach Aliyu Zubairu is assured his crew is prepared for the problem.
“Each recreation is a brand new problem. We’ll method this one with focus, self-discipline, and teamwork,” Zubairu mentioned. “We respect Argentina, however we consider in our capacity to compete and win.”
The seven-time African champions will maintain their last coaching session on the match venue on Tuesday night, forward of Wednesday’s conflict.
Italian referee Maurizio Mariani will take cost of the encounter, which guarantees to be one of many match’s most enjoyable video games.
For Nigeria, it’s one other likelihood to point out their energy in opposition to world-class opposition. For Argentina, it’s a shot at revenge on dwelling soil.
