The Flying Eagles will be aiming for victory against Saudi Arabia on Matchday 2 in the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile, after a painful loss to Norway in their first group game on Monday.
Despite dominating the game and creating a number of opportunities, the seven-time African championswere unlucky not to have equalised in the second half of the encounter, and probably taken the three points. On two occasions, their appeals for penalty awards were turned down by the referee.
Victory against Saudi Arabia will put the two-time World Cup runners-up in a good position to qualify for the championship’s Round of 16, ahead of their clash with Colombia on Sunday.
Head Coach Aliyu Zubair is upbeat his wards have shaken off the defeat against Norway as their attention has shifted towards the confrontation with Saudi Arabia, to ensure the team gets the desired result. With the availability of all key players, Coach Zubair may stick to his usual 4-3-3 formation with more focus on attack and ball possession.
Israel Ayuma, Daniel Daga and Charles Agada have all been booked and will have to play with caution to avoid missing the last group game against the Colombians.
Meanwhile, Flying Eagles Head Coach, Aliyu Zubair, has blamed missed chances for Nigeria’s 1-0 loss to Norway in their opening match of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
The Group A match was played at Estadio Fiscal de Talca on Monday.
Zubair, however, praised his players’ determination and team spirit in spite of the narrow defeat.
“The boys played their hearts out. They did everything humanly possible to win the match.
“We created many chances from the start, but our efforts kept hitting the bar. It just wasn’t our day,” he said.
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