The Flying Eagles of Nigeria will be seeking a semi-final spot in the FIFA U20 World Cup when they take on South Korea in the quarter-finals of the competition on Sunday.
The match at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago Del Estero, Argentina, will kick off by 6:30 p.m (WAT).
Nigeria reached the quarter-finals of the U20 FIFA World Cup after beating hosts Argentina 2-0 in front of nearly 30,000 fans at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario. For South Korea, the Asians defeated Ecuador 3-2 in the round of 16.
The head coach of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, Ladan Bosso, is positive his team will get past South Korea in Sunday’s FIFA U20 World Cup quarterfinal clash. He said his team has worked so hard to make it this far and they are ready to do even more in the games ahead.
“We are delighted to have executed a perfect game plan against Argentina. Our strategy and tactics worked out, and the boys worked very hard,” Coach Bosso said on NFF’s official website.
“Now, we have to concentrate on what to expect from the Koreans. We have been watching their games at this championship, and we have a good idea of how to prepare for them.”
“Again, the boys must work hard and carry out our plan on match day. We have the playing personnel to do the job, and I am positive we will cross the Korean hurdle,” Bosso added.
- Read more: U20 World Cup: Nigeria Stuns Argentina, Advances To Quarter-Finals
- Read more: Israel Shocks Brazil To Reach FIFA U20 World Cup Semi-finals
The two teams are the only surviving representatives of their respective confederations. Nigeria are only team from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) left in the tournament, while South Korea are the only team among the original four from the Asian Football Confederation to make it this far.
South Korea have scored seven goals in the tournament so far, with Lee Young-jun leading the way with two strikes, while the five other goals have been spread across five players.
South Korea will be looking to go one better in the FIFA Under 20 World Cup after reaching the final in the last edition.
However, the Asians must get past a tricky Nigerian side who knocked out hosts Argentina for a chance to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Head To Head
🚨M A T C H D A Y!
⚽️ South Korea U20🇰🇷 🆚 Nigeria U20🇳🇬
🗓 Sunday, June 4, 2023
⏱ 6. 30 pm 🇳🇬
🏟 Estadio Unico Madre de Cuidades 🇦🇷
🧿 FIFA U20 World Cup#SoarFlyingEagles#FIFAU20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/mneNZaO4e4
— The NFF 🇳🇬 (@thenff) June 4, 2023
This will be the third time Nigeria and South Korea will meet at the U-20 FIFA World Cup.
In their first encounter in the Group Stages of the 2005 edition in the Netherlands, South Korea came from a goal down to beat the Flying Eagles 2-1. While in another Group Stage match in the 2013 edition in Turkey, the Flying Eagles beat South Korea 1-0.
On their part, Nigeria’s best outing at the U-20 FIFA World Cup was at 1989 and 2005 edition, where the Flying Eagles finished as runners-up twice. South Korea’s best outing at the U-20 World Cup was at the 2019 tournament in Poland where they lost 3-1 to Ukraine in the final.
The Flying Eagles’ win against Argentina raised expectations over its chances of ending a 40-year title drought in the U20 FIFA World Cup. For South Korea, the Asians will be seeking another semi-final spot as the encounter promises to deliver goal-mouth action at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Argentina.
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