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Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have qualified for the Round of 16 at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile after finishing as one of the best four third-place teams, following a 1–1 draw with Colombia in their final group match on Monday morning.
The seven-time African champions put up an impressive performance at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, showing resilience and attacking flair throughout the encounter.
Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt produced key saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep Nigeria in the game, while Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani caused problems for the Colombian defence, with Nigeria hitting the woodwork several times.
Colombia took the lead in the 51st minute through Kener Gonzalez, who converted a pass from Neyser Villareal. The Flying Eagles, however, refused to give up and kept pressing for an equaliser.
Their persistence paid off in the 86th minute when captain Daniel Bameyi calmly converted a penalty after a Colombian defender handled Maigana’s goal-bound effort. Nigeria nearly grabbed the winner three minutes later, but Arierhi’s shot was blocked inside the box.
The result was enough to secure Nigeria’s place in the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams. The Flying Eagles will now face Argentina in the Round of 16 at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago on Wednesday — a repeat of their memorable 2–0 victory over the same opponents in San Juan at a previous edition hosted by Argentina.
Elsewhere, Colombia will face South Africa, while Norway take on Paraguay in other Round of 16 fixtures.
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