U-20 FIFA World Cup: Nigeria fall short as Norway seal narrow 1-0 win in Group opener

Nigeria kicked off their U-20 FIFA World Cup campaign against Norway at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, Soccernet.ng reports.

Both sides came into the game with similar form, playing a draw and a win in their friendly preparations leading to the tournament in Chile.

In their 14th appearance at the tournament [the most of any African nation at the FIFA U-20 World Cup], the Flying Eagles got off to a bright start, knocking the ball around quickly and with intent, and came close to breaking the deadlock inside three minutes, but Kparobo Ariehri‘s attempt on goal was denied by the woodwork.

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Three minutes later, after Norway's first flurry forward, Akinyele Ahmed had to clear the Scandinavians' attempt off the line as they grew into the game to match Nigeria's quickfire start.

However, the VAR alerted the referee to review the situation leading to Norway's attempt. After the VAR check, it was confirmed that the ball hit the hand of the Flying Eagles captain, Daniel Bameyi.

The referee, Joseph Dickerson, then pointed to the spot. Norway's Rasmus Holten stepped up and dispatched the penalty swiftly to the right of Ebenezer Harcourt‘s goal, sending the teenage goalkeeper the wrong way to open the scoring.

RASMUS HOLTEN OPENS THE SCORING FOR NORWAY!

Norway U20 1-0 Nigeria U20 pic.twitter.com/pW57Wp2t47

— Jollof Ballers (@JollofBallers) September 29, 2025

For the remainder of the first half, Nigeria had the Lion's share of the possession, but nothing concrete came from that.

Zubairu's boys came close again in the second half, courtesy of a Tahir Maigana attempt, but again, they were denied by the woodwork.

The Flying Eagles thought they'd gotten a lifeline in the 85th minute after Norwegian midfielder Tobias Moi handled the ball in the box.

Upon VAR review, the referee decided against pointing to the spot, stating the arm of the 19-year-old was in a natural position, plus, the ball hit his chest before rolling onto his arm.

Another scenario surfaced in the additional minutes after the 90, but the result was the same. Upon VAR check, the ball hit Hakon Rosten's arm in a natural position.

Holten's penalty seals the win for Norway in their #U20WC opener! #U20WC | #LegendsInTheMaking

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 29, 2025

In all, Nigeria mustered 17 shot attempts, but just one on target compared to Norway's five shot attempts, showcasing the Flying Eagles' profligacy in front of goal.

It's back to the drawing board for Aliyu Zubairu and his boys, as they now have their work cut out for them if they want to make it to the knockout stages. Flying Eagles lock horns against Saudi Arabia in four days.