U20 Nigeria flight delayed 9 hours before defeating Argentina

Argentina Nigeria's U20 team had to stay at the airport for nine hours and could not practice, but still defeated hosts Argentina 2-0 in the round of 16 of the 2023 U20 World Cup.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca , the U20 Nigeria team had to wait for nine hours at the airport on May 29. The flight from Buenos Aires to San Juan was scheduled to take off at 9am that day, but the team members only left at 6pm.

After arriving in San Juan, coach Ladan Bosso had to cancel a training session scheduled for the afternoon of the same day, as the team did not settle into their hotel until nearly midnight. The Nigerian side was angry and said that the host Argentina did not give "any explanation for the delay".

Despite the impact on their training schedule and fitness, Nigeria still defeated Javier Mascherano's Argentina in the match on June 1. In the 61st minute, Ibrahim Muhammad entered the penalty area and shot diagonally to open the score. In the first minute of extra time, Rilwanu Sarki flew to head the ball into an empty goal from a teammate's pass to seal the 2-0 victory.

Muhammad got past the Argentine defense and goalkeeper to score the opening goal for Nigeria in the round of 16 of the U20 World Cup on June 1. Photo: AP

Nigeria will face South Korea, who beat Ecuador 3-2, in the quarterfinals on June 4. The remaining three quarterfinal matches are Colombia vs. Italy, Brazil vs. Israel and Uruguay vs. the United States. Meanwhile, Argentina disappointed when they were eliminated in the round of 16 for the second consecutive time at the U20 World Cup.

Indonesia won the bid to host the 2021 U20 World Cup, but the tournament was canceled due to Covid-19. The country was set to host the 2023 U20 World Cup, until recent tensions.

In June 2022, Israel won a place in the tournament, but a wave of protests broke out in Indonesia to boycott the Middle Eastern country. The draw for the finals was also postponed. On the evening of March 29, the International Football Federation (FIFA) announced that it had stripped Indonesia of the hosting rights. In the 2023 U20 World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia stopped in the group stage and did not have a place to continue. Argentina was awarded the right to host the current tournament, and thanks to that, Mascherano's team got a place as hosts in the tournament, although they also did not qualify for the South American region.

Argentina are the most successful team in the U20 World Cup. They have won the championship six times, including the 2005 tournament where Lionel Messi shined with a double of Best Player and Top Scorer awards.

Hong Duy

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