FIFA U-20 World Cup: Scrappy Nigeria Join Ukraine, USA In Last 16

BY EDMOND ODOK – Nigeria’s Flying Eagles dug deep to hold leaders, Ukraine 1-1 inside a chilly Bielsko-Biala Stadium on Thursday to close out Group D at the on-going FIFA Under-20 World Cup Poland 2019.

Deploying their tried-and-true strategy of congesting the middle with three central defenders, Ukraine frustrated the Flying Eagles attack for much of the first half.

After a flurry of attacks and goal-bound moves, things went awry for Coach Paul Aigbogun’s boys in the 30th minute as Danylo Sikan headed home from close range to give the Ukrainians a 1-0 lead at half time.

Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin denied Muhamed Tijani’s penalty seconds before half-time, but could not duplicate the feat when Tijani earned another spot-kick in the 47th minute.

Thanks to confirmation by VAR that Denys Popov handled Tijani’s shot on goal, the Nigerian forward fired past Lunin to ensure the two sides shared the spoils on the night.

Already guaranteed a place in the knockout stage, the result earned the Ukrainians top spot in Group D with seven points.

The United States came second in the group after seeing off a tough challenge by group’s whipping boys, Qatar 1-0 in their final match

However, courtesy of a superior goal difference as one of the best third placed teams, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles scrapped through to continue their World Cup expedition in Poland. They amassed four points from three matches to finish third on the log.

GROUP D FINAL STANDINGS