The Flying Eagles of Nigeria lost their opening fixture of the U-20 FIFA World Cup against Norway at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca in Chile, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria had their first attempt on goal inside three minutes, but the woodwork denied Kparobo Ariehri‘s shot.
Six minutes later, a handball from captain Daniel Bameyi saw Norway awarded a penalty that was carefully tucked away by Rasmus Holten.
RASMUS HOLTEN OPENS THE SCORING FOR NORWAY!
Norway U20 1-0 Nigeria U20 pic.twitter.com/pW57Wp2t47
— Jollof Ballers (@JollofBallers) September 29, 2025
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In the second half, Nigeria huffed and puffed, but nothing concrete came off their attempts, although they were denied by the crossbar again in the second half.
Zubairu reveals why Nigeria lost
While the AFCON U-20 bronze medallists lost to the Scandinavians, the 61-year-old coach cannot fault the effort his players put in.
“The boys played their hearts out. They did everything humanly possible to make sure we won the match,” the former Gombe United manager said in quotes revealed by the Whistler.
“Even from the start, we created chances, but unfortunately, our efforts kept hitting the bar. It just felt like we weren’t lucky.
“Possession doesn’t win matches. If just one of our attempts had gone in, it would have changed the situation. But that is the way the game comes, and we have to take it as it is.
“We are going to think about the next match. We just have to pick up the three points,” he concluded.
It’s back to the drawing board for Aliyu Zubairu and his boys, as they now have their work cut out for them if they want to make it to the knockout stages. Flying Eagles lock horns against Saudi Arabia in three days.
