Nigeria stuns Argentina to reach FIFA U-20 World Cup quarter-final

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria have pulled off a stunning upset by beating the hosts Argentina 2-0 in the second-round fixture of the FIFA U-20 World Cup on Wednesday at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan.

The Nigerian team, who advanced from their group as one of the best third-placed teams, eliminated Argentina — who topped their group with a perfect record — from the tournament.

Ladan Bosso made three changes to the starting lineup that lost 2-0 to Brazil in their last group game. Benjamin Fredrick came back to the defence while Tochukwu Nnadi and Ibrahim Muhammad replaced Emmanuel Umeh and Victor Eletu in the midfield.

The home crowd at the stadium cheered loudly for Argentina as the South Americans dominated the possession and created chances in the first half.

Nigeria came close to scoring a surprise goal in the ninth minute, but Ibrahim Muhammed’s shot went just wide of the post.

The Nigerians defended well and denied the Argentines any clear-cut opportunities as Federico Redondo and Valentín Carboni controlled the midfield.

After the break, Bosso introduced Umeh and Haliru Sarki for Salim Fago Lawal and Jude Sunday. The substitutions added some spark to the Nigerian attack.

A few minutes later, the Flying Eagles silenced the home fans. Umeh shrugged off a defender and played a through ball to Muhammed at the edge of Argentina’s box. The winger slotted the ball past an advancing Gomes Gerth into the net.

The Argentines responded by pushing forward in search of an equaliser. But Kingsley Aniaboso, the Nigerian goalkeeper, made some crucial saves to keep them at bay.

Bosso then made another tactical change and brought on Eletu for Muhammed, and the substitute set up the second goal of the game.

After a long clearance from Aniaboso, Umeh flicked it to Argentina’s area as Eletu fought off a challenge before laying it off for Sarki to head home.

The Nigerians held on for the remaining eight minutes of stoppage time as they secured their spot in the competition’s last eight.

The Flying Eagles will face the winner of the match between South Korea and Ecuador in the quarter-final.

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