Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have booked their place in the Round of 16 at the ongoing 24th FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, after holding Colombia to a 1-1 draw in the early hours of Monday.
The seven-time African champions put up a spirited display at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, with goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt producing vital saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to deny the South Americans during a tense first-half battle.
Despite Colombia’s early dominance, the Flying Eagles looked more adventurous going forward. The trio of Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani consistently unsettled the Colombian backline, hitting the woodwork on several occasions.
Colombia eventually opened the scoring in the 51st minute when Kener Gonzalez converted from a precise assist by Neyser Villareal.
Unfazed by the setback, the Nigerians maintained their attacking intensity. Defender Odinaka Okoro almost restored parity with a powerful header in the 76th minute that narrowly missed target.
Their persistence finally yielded results in the 86th minute. Captain Daniel Bameyi stepped up to calmly slot home from the penalty spot after a Colombian defender was penalised for handling Maigana’s goal-bound effort.
The Flying Eagles nearly snatched victory in the closing minutes, but Arierhi’s 89th-minute strike was blocked inside the box.
With the draw, Nigeria progressed to the next stage where they will face hosts Argentina at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago on Wednesday. The fixture is a repeat of their quarter-final clash at the last U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where the Flying Eagles secured a 2–0 win in San Juan.
Meanwhile, Colombia will square off against South Africa in their own Round of 16 tie, while Norway will battle Paraguay in another knockout fixture.
