Argentina Crush Nigeria 4–0 to End Flying Eagles’ U-20 World Cup Dream

Nigeria’s hopes of progressing at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025 came to a painful end on Tuesday after a 4–0 defeat to Argentina in the round of 16 in Santiago.

The South Americans were dominant and efficient, scoring twice in each half to secure a place in the quarter-finals, while the Flying Eagles struggled to withstand the relentless pace and precision of Diego Placente’s team.

Alejo Sarco opened the scoring inside two minutes, turning in Dylan Gorosito’s cross after a defensive lapse left goalkeeper Ebenezar Harcourt stranded. It was a disastrous start for Aliyu Zubairu’s side, who never fully recovered from Argentina’s high press and fluid attacking movement.

Argentina doubled their advantage midway through the first half when Maher Carrizo curled in a stunning free-kick from outside the box, beating Harcourt at the far post. Nigeria almost reduced the deficit before halftime through Daniel Daga, whose powerful volley was denied by a reflex save from Santino Barbi.

The second half followed the same pattern as Argentina maintained control and punished Nigeria’s errors. In the 53rd minute, Milton Delgado dispossessed Daga in midfield and released Carrizo, who calmly slotted home his second goal to make it 3–0.

Thirteen minutes later, Mateo Silvetti added a fourth with a composed finish after outpacing Daniel Bameyi on the flank and curling into the far corner to complete Nigeria’s misery.

Zubairu introduced Abduljelil Kamaldeen, Auwal Ibrahim and Charles Agada in an attempt to spark a response, but the Flying Eagles lacked rhythm and cutting edge. Late efforts from Kparobo Arierhi and Haruna Aliyu failed to find the target as Argentina expertly saw out the game.

The statistics told the story: Argentina registered more shots on goal and completed nearly twice as many passes as Nigeria, who were also guilty of several defensive lapses. Nasiru Salihu and Emmanuel Ekele were both booked in the second half, while VAR briefly checked a potential Nigerian penalty but upheld the referee’s decision.

Despite flashes of individual brilliance from Daga and Maigana, Nigeria’s lack of cohesion and defensive discipline proved costly. The defeat highlights the growing gap between the Flying Eagles and the world’s top youth teams, two years after their famous win over Argentina at the 2023 edition.

Argentina will now face Mexico in the quarter-finals, while Nigeria exits the tournament still chasing an elusive maiden U-20 World Cup title.