THE Flying Eagles recovered from their opening match defeat to beat Saudi Arabia 3-2 in the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile in the early hours of today.
The Nigerian boys had lost their first match in the competition 1-0 to Norway on Monday and desperately needed the three points against Saudi Arabia to keep their round of 16 dreams alive.
The two-time finalists were on the verge of a draw before captain Daniel Bameyi converted a penalty in stoppage time.
Midfielder Nasiru Salihu scored the Flying Eagles’ first goal of the tournament in the 10th minute, but the Saudi Arabia were back on level terms 11 minutes later through Amar Alyuhaybi.
The Flying Eagles were back in front as Amos Ochoche netted with seven minutes left in the first half.
Six minutes after the break, Saudi Arabia equalised again thanks to Talal Haji, taking advantage of Nigeria’s doggy defending.
The Flying Eagles sealed the victory four minutes into added time as Bameyi made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Up next for the Flying Eagles is their final group fixture against Colombia on Sunday, and the seven-time African champions need to avoid defeat in order to reach the round of 16.