By Wale Mustapha
Head coach of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, Aliyu Zubairu, says his team is approaching their Round of 16 clash against Argentina at the FIFA U-20 World Cup with renewed focus and tactical discipline.
The two-time runners-up will face the tournament hosts and six-time champions on Wednesday in Santiago, Chile, in what promises to be a high-stakes encounter.
The Flying Eagles advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams, while Argentina topped their group with a perfect record—three wins from three matches.
Despite entering the fixture as underdogs, Zubairu remains confident in his squad’s ability to rise to the occasion.
“Every game is a new challenge, and we’ll prepare with the same mentality—focus, discipline, and teamwork,” the coach said following Nigeria’s qualification. “We respect Argentina, but it’s a challenge that must be overcome.”
Nigeria will be drawing inspiration from their historic Round of 16 victory over Argentina in the previous edition of the tournament, where the Flying Eagles stunned the South Americans in front of their home crowd.
The highly anticipated clash is scheduled for Wednesday, with the winner progressing to the quarter-finals of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
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.
