The Flying Eagles of Nigeria suffered a 4-0 defeat to Argentina to crash out of the FIFA U20 World Cup finals on Wednesday.
Alejo Sarco scored Argentina’s first as early as the second minute, before Maher Carrizo doubled the advantage from a free-kick in the 23rd minute, disrupting Nigeria’s game-plan.
Maher Carrizo’s goal came following a challenge by midfielder Nasiru Salihu at the edge of the box.
An appeal for penalty award from Nigeria was waved off by the referee despite Ramirez’s clumsy challenge on Salihu in the vital area. Oseer Achihi was a constant threat from the left wing of play, as his crosses into the box forced the Argentines to defend stoutly, conceding throw-ins and corner-kicks to relieve them of the pressure.
Daniel Daga’s stoppage-time close range effort on goal was denied by goalkeeper Santino Barbi’s superb save to keep the scoreline 2-0 at half time. Carrizo compounded matters for Nigeria with the third goal in the 53rd minute, after the South Americans broke forward once more.
Second half substitute, Matheus Silvetti beat the offside trap to bend his kick to the bottom right of Ebenezer Harcourt for Argentina’s fourth goal in the 66th minute.
Defeat meant elimination from this year’s championship for two-time silver medallists Nigeria.
Meanwhile, The Nigeria U17 Women’s National Team, Flamingos, arrived safely in Morocco on Wednesday, ahead of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The team departed Abuja early Wednesday morning at 7:18 a.m. aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight and landed in Casablanca at 11:28 a.m. Nigeria time.
On arrival at the Mohammed V International Airport, the girls were greeted with an unexpected but inspiring moment as they ran into former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, who was en route to France.
The ex-international took a few moments to speak with the players, urging them to stay disciplined, focused, and to represent Nigeria with pride and unity at the global showpiece. His words were met with smiles and applause from both players and officials.
The Flamingos have since settled into their base at the Ibis Hotel in Casablanca, where they will spend the next few days fine-tuning their preparations before heading to Rabat for the tournament proper.
The team’s spirit was high upon arrival, with several players expressing excitement at the opportunity to don Nigeria’s colors on the world stage once again.
The 2022 World Cup bronze medallists held a light training session on Wednesday evening to help the players recover from jet-lag and get used to the Moroccan weather conditions. The session focused primarily on recovery, ball movement, and coordination drills.
Nigeria is drawn in Group D of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, alongside Canada, France, and Samoa, with their opening match scheduled for Sunday, October 19.
The Flamingos head into the tournament full of confidence, having played ten preparatory matches, scoring 44 goals without conceding.
