Nigeria U-20 coach Aliyu Zubairu, speaking exclusively with Footy-Africa, expressed confidence that his team can once again get the better of Argentina as both sides prepare to face off in the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
The Flying Eagles met Argentina at the same stage during the last edition of the tournament in 2023, which was hosted by Argentina. Nigeria won that encounter 2-0, thanks to goals from Haliru Sarki and Ibrahim Muhammad.
Speaking exclusively to Footy-Africa.com, Zubairu expressed belief that his players have what it takes to overcome Argentina, who are considered one of the favourites for the title.
“We have seen Argentina, we have seen their strengths, and we will try to neutralise them. We have been able to pick out their deficiencies, and we are going to work on that,” he said. “On Wednesday, we’ll take advantage of what we’ve observed and, hopefully, we win the game.”
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The coach admitted that the level of competition becomes tougher as the tournament progresses but praised his team’s resilience in their previous match.
“As the competition progresses, the opposition becomes a bit tougher. That’s why you saw what happened against Colombia, as they are a good, physical side and very direct. But we were able to scale through,” Zubairu noted.
Facing an Argentina side that topped their group with a perfect record, Zubairu dismissed suggestions that statistics determine outcomes in knockout football.
“Sometimes you don’t analyse it like that because the strength of the groups is not equal. In some groups, you see teams concede as many as seven or eight goals, but in our group, it was very tight,” he explained.
“Even the losers that didn’t make it to the next stage in our group, Saudi Arabia, everyone knows they are a good side. If they were in another group, they might have qualified. Argentina came out with nine points, yes, and we respect them for that. But whatever points you gather in your group, you leave behind once you get to the knockout stage because this is an entirely new ball game.”
Zubair recalled the 2023 meeting between both sides, suggesting that history could repeat itself.
“I remember the last scenario, it happened in the last U-20 World Cup which they even hosted. They came out with nine points, we came second in our group, but we still beat them. We are going to do the same thing again,” he said confidently.
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The coach also expressed hope that two players from that victorious 2023 squad – Daniel Daga and Daniel Bameyi can inspire their teammates to another famous win over the South Americans.
“Definitely, if history is anything to go by, they will always remember that, and I believe they’ll tell their colleagues what happened in Argentina. That will motivate them to repeat the same feat,” Zubair said. “I believe it’s something doable, considering the spirit the boys showed in the game against Colombia. It might be a tough match, but I believe we will scale through.”
Nigeria and Argentina will square off at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago on Wednesday, with a place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025 at stake.
