Nigeria and Argentina will, once again, set the global football stage alight as the round of 16 of this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals commence in Chile on Wednesday evening, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Both countries have fought memorable battles in the FIFA World Cup finals, FIFA U20 World Cup finals, and at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, but the most recent remains Nigeria’s spectacular 2-0 defeat of the Albiceleste in a Round of 16 encounter when Argentina hosted the FIFA U20 World Cup finals two years ago.
Ibrahim Muhammad and Haliru Sarki scored the goals that stunned the hosts and upturned the predictions of most pundits, with the Flying Eagles advancing to the quarter-finals, where they lost in extra time to the Republic of Korea.
Two decades ago, the Flying Eagles narrowly lost 1-2 to Argentina in the FIFA U20 World Cup Final in the Netherlands, with both Argentine goals coming from penalty kicks converted by Lionel Messi, while Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi scored a brilliant goal for Nigeria.
Argentina have won the FIFA U20 World Cup six times, while Nigeria have finished with the silver medals twice (1989 and 2005) and the bronze once (1985), but there will be no inferiority complex on the part of the seven-time African champions when they take the pitch of the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago from 8.30 pm Nigeria time on Wednesday.
Self-belief, sense of purpose and pride, and resilience got the wards of Aliyu Zubair through the group stage, with four points off Saudi Arabia and Colombia, and the Colombians are unlikely to forget how the West Africans dominated a game they (Colombia) were tipped to win easily.
Thrice, the Flying Eagles struck the bar in the encounter at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, and earned a deserved point at the end when captain Daniel Bameyi coolly converted a penalty kick conceded in desperation by the South Americans as the tireless Nigerian attack went on the rampage once more.
Coach Zubair must pick a new man to team up with Tahir Maigana and Kparobo Arierhi in the fore, with Suleman Sani suspended after accumulating two yellow cards in the group stage.
The Flying Eagles arrived in Santiago from Talca on Monday evening and will conduct a training session on Tuesday evening ahead of the clash with the Argies.
Credit: NFF