The Albiceleste were edged 2-0 by the Green Eagles and will not feature in the top eight of the category.
In the round of 16 at the 2023 U-20 World Cup, Argentina fell 2-0 to Niger at the Bicentennial Stadium in San Juan, ending the host nation’s tournament run early.
Under Javier Mascherano, the squad had entered the event as hosts after the stumble in Indonesia, and although their form in the South American group stage was uneven, three group games showed a clear uptick. They collected wins against Uzbekistan, New Zealand, and Guatemala, demonstrating they could adapt and respond. Yet today those earlier signs were swallowed by a wave of nerves and misfortune.
For Niger, danger came quickly. At 61 minutes Ibrahim Muhammad struck first, finishing off a move that began with a goal kick and bounced several times before landing in the box. From there, Argentina’s confidence wavered and the match intensified in a hurry.
Relentless pressure produced chances, including crosses into the box in the hope of a glancing header from Alejo Veliz, but the clearest moment was a long-range attempt from Luka Romero that whistled against the post, almost begging for a decisive touch.
In extra time, Rilwanu Sarki sealed the result with a goal that sprang from another Nigerien attack, punctuated by several late fouls. Niger now advances to the quarter-finals where they will meet the winner of the Ecuador and South Korea clash.
Next up in GOAL’s coverage, the action continued to unfold on the field.
ARGENTINA – NIGERIA, MINUTE BY MINUTE
- Minute by minute coverage of the match between Argentina and Nigeria
- NIGERIAN ATTACKING INTENT
- TACTICAL SETUP AND KEY MOMENTS
- Good afternoon and welcome to another broadcast of GOAL. Argentina and Nigeria meet in the 8th final of the 2023 U-20 World Cup at the Bicentenario Stadium in San Juan.
THE TOURNAMENT CONTEXT
HOW TO WATCH LIVE ON TV AND STREAMING
The match between Argentina and Niger is shown on television in Argentina by Public TV, TyC Sports, and DirecTV Sports.
Online viewing is available for free through the platform Count, which requires prior registration. It will also be accessible on TyC Sports Play (requires linking to a cable provider account). DG, a service exclusive to DirecTV customers, and the streaming options from various cable operators such as Flow and Telecentro Play, will carry the game as well.
FORMATION
ARGENTINA
Federico Gomes Gerth; Agustín Giay, Tomás Avilés, Valentin Gómez, Valentin Barco; Mateo Tanlongo, Federico Redondo; Luka Romero, Valentin Carboni, Brian Aguirre and Alejo Veliz. DT: Javier Mascherano.
NIGERIA
Chijioke Aniagboso; Solomon Agbalaka, Abel Ogwuche, Daniel Bameyi, Benjamin Fredrick; Daniel Daga, Tochukwu Nadi, Samson Lawal; Salim Lawal, Ibrahim Muhammad and Jude Sunday. DT: Ladan Bosso.