Argentina 0 v 2 Nigeria | Round of 16 | FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™ | Match Highlights

Argentina's Under-20 football team has been a force to be reckoned with in the early stages of the World Cup. With wins over Uzbekistan and Guatemala in Group A, they secured their place in the knockout stage, scoring five goals and conceding just once.

Led by former player Javier Mascherano, Argentina showed no signs of slowing down even in their final group game against New Zealand, a match with no bearing on their progression. The team made several changes, giving opportunities to players from Cebollitas, their youth academy. Ignacio Maestro Puch, Luka Romero, Brian Aguirre, Gino Infantino, and Alejo Veliz all found the back of the net as Argentina triumphed with an impressive 5-0 victory.

Argentina was one of only two teams to maintain a perfect record in the group stage, alongside the USA. Their tally of 10 goals was second only to Ecuador, who scored nine in a single game against Fiji, accumulating a total of 11 goals.

With six previous Under-20 World Cup victories between 1995 and 2007, Argentina's young talents are eager to restore their nation's former glory at the youth level. Since their last championship triumph 16 years ago, they have only reached the quarter-finals in subsequent tournaments.

Meanwhile, Nigeria started their campaign for a first-ever Under-20 World Cup title on a high note, securing wins against the Dominican Republic and Italy. These victories propelled them to the top of Group D, surpassing Italy and Brazil. However, their final match against Brazil proved to be a challenging task.

Nigeria suffered goals from Jean Pedroso and Marquinhos just before halftime, ultimately losing the game. Additionally, Italy's 3-0 victory over the Dominican Republic pushed Nigeria down to third place in the group standings. Despite this setback, the team had a silver lining as they qualified for the knockout rounds as the best-performing third-placed team.

Nigeria has a strong history in the tournament, finishing as runners-up in 1989 and 2005. However, their recent appearances in the last 16 have resulted in elimination in 2013, 2015, and 2019.

Interestingly, Nigeria's only previous encounter with Argentina at the Under-20 level occurred in the 2005 final, where Argentina emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline, courtesy of two penalties converted by Lionel Messi. The winners of Wednesday's match between these two teams can look forward to a quarter-final clash with either Ecuador or South Korea, setting the stage for an intriguing battle to secure a spot in the tournament's later stages.

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