Nigeria’s U20 team, the Flying Eagles, have crashed out of the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup after suffering a heavy 4–0 defeat to Argentina in their Round of 16 clash on Wednesday night.

The seven-time African champions had secured a spot in the knockout stage after a 1–1 draw with Colombia in their final Group F game in Talca. But in what turned out to be a repeat of the 2005 final, the South Americans dominated from start to finish in Santiago, Chile, to book their place in the quarter-finals at Nigeria’s expense.

Head coach Aliyu Zubair stuck with a familiar lineup, making just one change from the previous match Orseer Achihi stepping in for the suspended Sani Suleiman. However, his trust in consistency backfired early on.

Argentina struck just two minutes into the game through Alejo Sarco, setting the tone for a long night. Midway through the first half, Maher Carrizo doubled the lead with a curling free kick that Nigerian goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt would feel he could have dealt with better.

The Flying Eagles tried to respond and had a penalty appeal waved away, while Daniel Daga squandered a golden chance to halve the deficit before halftime. Despite the late push, Nigeria went into the break trailing 2–0.

Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished after the restart as Carrizo completed his brace in the 53rd minute. Substitute Mateo Silvetti later added a fourth just past the hour mark, sealing a dominant performance for the former world champions.

With the defeat, Nigeria fell short of matching their 2023 campaign, where they reached the quarter-finals. Argentina, meanwhile, march confidently into the last eight, where they will face Mexico.