The Flying Eagles fell short in their FIFA U20 World Cup opener, going down 1-0 to Norway in Chile on Monday, September 29, Footynaija.com reports.
It was a game where Nigeria had the ball, pushed forward, but left without reward. There were times the team looked sharp. They carved out chances, and in the 71st minute thought they had found a way back, only for the effort not to stand.
Their final ball often broke down, leaving Nigeria chasing what felt like half-chances instead of clear openings. For all their possession, Norway’s one moment proved enough, and Nigeria were punished for failing to make theirs count.
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Aliyu Zubairu, who had led the Flying Eagles to a third-place finish at the U20 AFCON earlier this year, admitted the problem wasn’t in effort but in finishing.
The Flying Eagles coach, speaking after the match, said in a post-match reaction reported by BSN Sports that his boys had worked hard but were simply left frustrated.
“The boys gave their all, just unlucky at moments. Possession doesn’t win games; if one of those chances had gone in, it would’ve been different,” Zubairu explained.
The coach stressed that the loss cannot linger, with Saudi Arabia up next in the group.
“Now we move — focus on Saudi Arabia, and we go for the 3 points,” he added.
The opener leaves Nigeria needing results against Saudi Arabia and Colombia to stay alive in the tournament. With their pre-tournament draw with hosts Chile and win over Australia, showing what this squad can do, the challenge now is to turn the effort into goals when it matters most.
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