By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U20 national team, the Flying Eagles, battled to a 1-1 draw against hosts Chile in a friendly match in Rancagua on Saturday as both sides stepped up preparations for the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup, which runs from September 27 to October 19.
Ahmed Akinyele opened scoring for Nigeria in the 18th minute, heading home a corner delivered by Tahir Maigana. The hosts equalised 18 minutes later through Felipe Faúndez to restore parity.
Early in the second half, goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt produced two quick-fire saves to deny Chile, while coach Aliyu Zubair later introduced Abduljelil Kamaldeen, Kparobo Arhieri and Auwal Ibrahim in search of a winner, but the contest ended level.
The Flying Eagles will continue their build-up with another friendly against Australia on Tuesday, September 23.
Nigeria will compete in Group F of the tournament alongside Norway, Saudi Arabia and Colombia, while Chile are drawn in Group A with Japan, Egypt and New Zealand.
Other groups include:
Group B: Korea Republic, Ukraine, Panama, Paraguay
Group C (“Group of Death”): Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Morocco
Group D: Italy, Australia, Cuba, Argentina
Group E: USA, New Caledonia, France, South Africa
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
