The Flying Eagles of Nigeria soared into the quarter-final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup after a famous 2-0 triumph over host country, Argentina.
Second-half goals from Ibrahim Beji Muhammad and Rilwanu Haliru Sarki were enough in the round of 16 match in San Juan.
Ladan Bosso’s tactical approach and experience in the competition made the difference in the encounter as Nigeria resisted the constant attacking threats from Javier Mascherano’s led Argentina.
The Flying Eagles showed composure in the defence and were able to settle for a goalless draw in the first-half.
A minute after a hour-mark, Muhammad broke the deadlock for Nigeria by drilling the ball into the back of the net for the opener.
The West Africans didn’t lose their defensive focus and waited for the stoppage time to punish Argentina with a fine counter-attacking move as Haliru Sarki headed the ball into an empty net to double the lead in the 91st minute.
Interestingly, Nigeria were clinical with their tackles and were not booked for the 11 fouls committed while Argentina got three yellow cards.
Nigeria will face the winners of the round of 16 fixture between Ecuador and South Korea in the quarter-final as they hope to lift the trophy for the first time in history.
