U20 FOOTBALL
Who will sing: ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’
Don’t cry for me Argentina was a popular sonorous song in the 1970s depicting the political turmoil in Argentina in the 1950s especially that of Eva Peron, the wife of the Argentine dictator, Juan Peron.
Will Argentina cry after their Round of 16 clash with Nigeria’s Flying Eagles this Wednesday? On paper as the most successful country in the competition and also as hosts, the odds weigh heavily in their favour.
But according to information from the Nigeria Football Federation media department, the Flying Eagles are not intimidated.
Nigeria and Argentina have met at the competition only once in 2005 in a high profile final match featuring Lionel Messi for the Argentines and Mikel Obi for Nigeria.
The NFF insists that the Flying Eagles have the capability of turning the table in the match holding at San Juan 10pm Nigerian time on Wednesday.
Argentina had a 100 percent run in the competition, winning all their three group matches and scoring 10 goals.
“We shall not be intimidated by the physicality of the opponents and the capacity crowd expected at the venue”, Nigerian coach, Ladan Bosso has remarked.
Bosso said on Tuesday, as his boys prepared for their official training session at match time (6pm Argentine time and 10pm Nigeria) that his Africa Cup of Nations bronze medallists will be ready to give as much as they receive in Wednesday’s encounter.
“This is the World Cup and it is wrong to under-rate any team. We won two of our three matches and had the same number of points in our group as Brazil and Italy. We are no pushovers in this campaign.
“It is going to be an interesting game. We want the quarter-final ticket and the Argentines also want the quarter-final ticket. We will go in there and dig our feet into the ground.”
ALL THE QUARTER-FINAL MATCHES
- Brazil Vs Tunisia
- USA Vs New Zealand
- Uzbekistan Vs Israel
- Colombia Vs Slovakia
- Argentina Vs Nigeria
- England Vs Italy
- Gambia Vs Uruguay
- Ecuador Vs South Korea
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
SUMMARY
*Nigeria never lost a competitive match on October 8
*Nigeria first international match was on October 8, 1949
*Nigeria first qualified for the World Cup following an October 8 match with Algeria in 1993
Mexico have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, following a commanding 4-1 victory over hosts Chile in the early hours of Wednesday.
With the win, the North Americans will now await the outcome of the Round of 16 clash between Nigeria and Argentina, which takes place later tonight at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez PrádanosinSantiago.
Nigeria will be aiming to repeat history against the Albiceleste, having stunned them 2-0 on home soil in their previous meeting two years ago.
But beyond recent records, the Super Eagles’ U20 side will also be drawing inspiration from a remarkable tradition — the ‘Magic of October 8’ — a date that has consistently brought Nigeria good fortune in football.
October 8: A Date Steeped in Nigerian Football History
It was on October 8, 1949, that Nigeria played their first-ever international match, defeating Sierra Leone 2-0 in Freetown. Since then, matches played on this date have often carried a touch of destiny for the nation.
In 1963, the team earned a 2-2 draw away to Liberia, maintaining their unbeaten streak on October 8, shortly after Nigeria had, through protest, overturned a result against Guinea to qualify for their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations.
Perhaps the most iconic result came 26 years after Nigeria’s debut international match, when the Green Eagles thrashed Egypt 4-0 in Lagos on October 8, 1977, during the final stage of the World Cup qualifiers for Argentina ’78.
That defeat remained Egypt’s heaviest in a World Cup qualifier until Ghana’s 6-1 rout in 2013.
The tradition continued in 1993, when Nigeria held Algeria 1-1 in Algiers on October 8 to qualify for their first-ever FIFA World Cup, becoming the first English-speaking African nation to reach the global showpiece.
Even FIFA appeared to acknowledge the date’s mystique — lifting a provisional ban on Nigeria on October 8, 2010.
Nigeria’s Record on October 8
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly): Sierra Leone 0–2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly): Liberia 2–2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup Qualifier): Nigeria 4–0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup Qualifier): Algeria 1–1 Nigeria (Nigeria qualify for USA ’94)
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup Qualifier): Nigeria 5–1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA provisionally lifts ban on Nigeria
- 2011 – Abuja (AFCON Qualifier): Nigeria 2–2 Guinea (unbeaten but missed 2012 AFCON ticket)
With such an impressive record, Nigerian fans will be hoping the October 8 magic shines once again when their U20 side face Argentina — and possibly sets up a thrilling quarter-final showdown with Mexico.
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Three of Africa’s four representatives — Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa — have booked their spots in the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, after a thrilling conclusion to the group phase on Sunday night.
Only Egypt missed out narrowly despite their spirited 2-1 win over hosts Chile in Santiago.
Morocco, the standout African team so far, topped Group C with two impressive victories — against Spain and Brazil — before a narrow defeat to Mexico.
The Atlas Cubs will now face Korea Republic in Rancagua on Thursday, 9 October, with the winner set to meet either Italy or the USA in the quarter-finals.
Nigeria, meanwhile, advanced as one of the best third-placed teams after a battling 1-1 draw with Colombia in Talca.
The Flying Eagles had earlier edged Saudi Arabia 3-2 in a dramatic group clash and will now face Argentina in Santiago — a repeat of their memorable encounters in past youth tournaments.
Coach Aliyu Zubairu praised his side’s resilience:
“It wasn’t easy but we stood our ground and were proactive. We knew they are physically strong and good on the ball so we tried to deny them passing lanes. All we wanted was to qualify for the next round.”
For South Africa, it has been a breakthrough campaign. The Amajita, reigning African U-20 champions, sealed their qualification with a 2-1 win over the USA, their second victory of the tournament after hammering New Caledonia 5-0.
The result sends them into a tough last-16 clash against Colombia on Wednesday, 8 October in Talca.
Coach Raymond Mdaka lauded his side’s progress, saying: “The players have shown great maturity and hunger to compete at this level. We believe we can go further if we remain disciplined and take our chances.”
While Morocco’s tactical discipline, Nigeria’s fighting spirit, and South Africa’s attacking flair have given the continent much to cheer about, Egypt’s exit was a cruel blow.
Despite defeating hosts Chile 2-1 in their final group match, the Young Pharaohs missed out on qualification due to an inferior fair-play record — finishing level on points but with more yellow cards than the South Americans.
The performances of the African teams have reignited optimism about the continent’s growing influence in world youth football, as all three surviving nations now aim to emulate Ghana’s famous 2009 U-20 World Cup triumph.
The knockout round fixtures offer no easy paths, but African hopes remain alive in Chile 2025.
Morocco take on Korea Republic, Nigeria face Argentina, and South Africa meet Colombia — three matches that could further underline Africa’s rising football pedigree on the global stage.
-Cafonline
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Nigeria’s Flying Eagles booked their place in the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile after holding Colombia to a 1-1 draw in Talca in the early hours of Monday.
The seven-time African champions put up a spirited display at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, showing resilience and character to come from behind and secure the crucial point that ensured their passage to the knockout stage.
Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt was Nigeria’s early hero, pulling off two vital saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep the South Americans at bay.
Despite Colombia’s pressure, the Flying Eagles remained the more adventurous side, with Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani constantly threatening and even hitting the woodwork on a couple of occasions.
Colombia took the lead six minutes after the restart when Kener Gonzalez tucked home from a Neyser Villareal assist. But the Flying Eagles refused to back down, pouring forward in search of an equaliser.
Defender Odinaka Okoro came close in the 76th minute but saw his header from Maigana’s cross parried by the Colombian goalkeeper.
Nigeria’s persistence eventually paid off four minutes from time. After a Maigana effort was handled in the box, captain Daniel Bameyi calmly converted the resulting penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to level the scores.
The Flying Eagles nearly snatched all three points in the dying minutes, but Arierhi’s effort was blocked inside the crowded area.
With the result, Nigeria advance to face six-time world champions Argentina in Wednesday’s Round of 16 clash at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago — a rematch of their famous quarter-final meeting the last time Argentina hosted the tournament, which Nigeria won 2-0 in San Juan.
In other pairings, Colombia will take on South Africa, while Norway face Paraguay in the knockout stage.
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