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The result ends a difficult tournament for the Flying Eagles, who only scraped through the group stage as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Argentina, in contrast, arrived with maximum confidence, having won all three of their group matches, and it showed.
Just 90 seconds in, tournament top scorer Alejo Sarco pounced on a defensive lapse to fire home from close range, punishing another error in a back line that has struggled for stability all tournament.
The South Americans doubled their lead in the 23rd minute through Maher Carrizo, whose curling free-kick left goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt stranded. From then on, the match followed a familiar pattern of Argentine dominance and Nigerian disarray.
Carrizo added his second and Argentina’s third just eight minutes after the restart, drilling low into the corner to make the contest safe. Substitute Mateo Silvetti completed the rout past the hour mark, sealing Argentina’s place in the quarter-finals.
For Nigeria, it was another frustrating night of missed assignments and defensive errors. The defeat continues a worrying trend for African teams at this year’s tournament, as South Africa, the reigning continental champions, were also eliminated after a 2–1 loss to Colombia.
Argentina now advance full of confidence, while Nigeria face a long flight home and a period of introspection after another underwhelming global campaign.
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