The Flying Eagles of Nigeria fought hard to earn a 1-1 draw against Ukraine on Thursday in their final group stage game at the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland.
Paul Aigbogun’s side needed a victory to secure a place in the Round of 16 but were still able to pull through as one of the best losers following their big win against Qatar as the USA U20 defeated Qatar 1-0 to finish with six points and get the other automatic slot in Group D.
Ukraine took the lead in the first half as Danylo Sikan headed home from close range in the 30th minute to put his team in a commanding position.
Muhamed Tijani’s penalty just at the end of the first half was saved by goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, however, Tijani was fortunate to earn another spot-kick in the 47th minute following a VAR decision that Denys Popov handled his goal-bound shot and he fired past Lunin to ensure the two sides shared the spoils.
With this result, Ukraine topped Group D with seven points but Nigeria made it to the round of 16 with a superior goal difference as they finish third in the group with four points from three matches.
