Nigeria advanced to the round of 16 of the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup by defeating Italy 2-0 in their second Group D encounter at the Estadio Malvinas stadium in Argentina.

After defeating Dominican Republic 2-1 in the first round, the Young Eagles went into their encounter against them on Friday night feeling sure that a victory would be enough to get them to the next round.

The African team took the lead when Salim Fago Lawal headed in a cross from Umeh Emmanuel in the 61st minute. Jude Sunday extended the advantage in the last moments of play to guarantee that the Flying Eaglets kept their perfect start.

The outcome of Nigeria’s match against Brazil, which will take place on Saturday, will not matter because they may still advance even if they finish in third place. Italy will compete against Dominican Republic.

Brazil defeated Dominican Republic 6-0 in the same Group, rebounding from their 3-2 loss to Italy in the opening match.

Senegal facing elimination

As a consequence of last night’s game, Nigeria currently leads Group D’s table standings with 6 points, followed by Brazil, Italy, and the Dominican Republic, who each have 3 points.

After a 1-1 draw with Israel, U20 African champions, Senegal will need good fortune to get to the knockout rounds. To do so, they must defeat Colombia on Saturday. Senegal’s first game was lost to Japan.

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After two rounds, Colombia is in first place in Group C with six points, three more than Japan and five more than Senegal and Israel.