The African giants finished third in Group D after winning two games and losing one to set up a date with the tournament hosts
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will trade tackles with hosts Argentina U20 national team in the Round of 16 of the FIFA U20 World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
The match will take place at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Kick-off time is 10 pm Nigerian time.
Nigeria sealed their spot in the Round of 16 as one of the third-best-placed teams after finishing behind Brazil and Italy in Group D.
Ladan Bosso’s boys defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 on matchday one before beating Italy 2-0 to soar to the summit of the group.
But the Flying Eagles lost 2-0 to Brazil on Saturday to stumble down to third place as Italy also handed the Dominican Republic a 3-0 thrashing.
Nigeria will now face one of the teams favoured to lift the U20 World Cup – Argentina.
Buoyed on by vociferous home support, the Argentines won all of their three group games, scoring ten goals and conceding just one.
The South American giants edged to a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan U20 on May 20th before outclassing Guatemala U20 3-0 three days later. Argentina saved the best for the last as they made light work of New Zealand 5-0 on Friday to seal the top spot in Group A.
Only Ecuador (11 goals) have scored more than Argentina in this tournament, while the United States are the only team to boast a better defensive record.
The Argentines also boast in their ranks two of the best strikers at the U20 World Cup. Alejo Véliz (3 goals) and Luka Romero (2 goals) have announced for half of the goals the hosts have managed so far.
Argentina are the most successful nation at the FIFA U20 World Cup with six titles, and they will be favourites against a Nigerian side that has conceded three goals in three games.
Nigeria will need to improve their defensive performance, as they have conceded three goals in their three group stage games.