The Flying Eagles on Monday night opened their group campaign at the 24th FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile with a 1-0 loss to Norway.
The boys from Nigeria were unlucky to lose their opening match of the competition, though, as they dominated play and created a hatful of chances, particularly in the second half.
Norway took the lead after they were awarded a contested penalty in the ninth minute, but the Flying Eagles fought hard to redeem things, only to be denied penalty awards on two occasions in the second half.
Kparobo Arierhi’s left-footed shot inside the box drifted just wide in the 47th minute, with the goalkeeper completely beaten, and in the 63rd minute, Tahir Maigana’s left-footed shot inside the box was stopped by the base of the upright.
The two-time silver medallists launched onslaught after onslaught against the Europeans, but Norway had too many players behind the ball in the box and foiled dozens of attempts.
In the 71st minute, the crowd rose to cheer the equalizer, but midfielder Nasiru Salihu’s rising shot from the right rose a little too high, beating the goalkeeper and the crossbar.
Seven minutes from time, the tireless Tahir Maigana cocked the trigger from afar, only to see his effort miss the target narrowly.
The Flying Eagles will take on Saudi Arabia in their second match of the competition on Thursday, hoping to bounce back with an all-important victory.
