October 03, (THEWILL) — Nigeria’s Under-20 national team revived their FIFA World Cup campaign in Chile with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Saudi Arabia on Friday in Talca.
The Flying Eagles, who lost their opening Group F fixture 1-0 to Norway, needed the win to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive.
Nasiru Salihu opened the scoring in the 10th minute, heading in from a cross delivered by Suleiman Sani.
Saudi Arabia equalised through Amar Al Yuhaybi in the 21st minute, but Amos Ochoche restored Nigeria’s advantage seven minutes before the interval.
The first period ended 2-1 in favour of the African side.
Talal Haji brought Saudi Arabia level again six minutes into the second half, leaving the contest finely balanced.
The decisive moment arrived in stoppage time when a handball by Awad Aman resulted in a penalty for Nigeria. Captain Daniel Bameyi converted from the spot to claim all three points for his side.
The result lifted Nigeria to third place in Group F after Colombia and Norway played out a goalless draw in the other fixture. Manager Aliyu Zubairu’s team now has three points from two matches, with one game remaining in the group stage.
Nigeria will face Colombia on Monday in their final group match, knowing that avoiding defeat will guarantee their progression to the Round of 16.
The Flying Eagles, two-time finalists at the tournament, are seeking to advance beyond the group stage for the first time since their previous appearance in the competition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
