Fifa U20 World Cup: Five observations from Flying Eagles 2-0 win over Italy 

The Flying Eagles, on Wednesday evening beat Group D rivals, Italy 2-0 in their second match of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina. 

The team coached by Ladan Bosso had defeated Dominican Republic 2-1 in their first game on Sunday. 

All Nigeria Soccer here presents the observations from the game. 

1. Aniagboso's jitters 

Despite having a clean sheet on Wednesday, there were nervous moments with  Kingsley Aniagboso in goal for Nigeria. 

Early in the first half, the keeper made a hasty clearance that was almost intercepted by an Italian player. He also conceded a cheap corner with about 20 minutes played. 

His performance improved in the second half as was able to deal with the crosses better albeit he had some difficulty with direct shots which needed second attempts to save. 

2. The physical threat of Nigeria 

The Flying Eagles may not have played a pleasing game in the eyes of pundits, the team however used their dominance on the physical side to their advantage. 

This greatly repealed the more technical Italians as the Nigerians won almost all the one-on-one duels. 

3. Great build-up

The build-up play of the Flying Eagles was great to watch. 

They were confident to evade the attention of the Italian forwards at the back and their speed down the flanks especially after the introduction of Haliru Sarki were frightening. 

4. Great defending 

The central defenders and the flank players worked well together. 

The only blot in the brilliant performance of the defenders was a yellow card brandished towards Benjamin Fredrick who made a challenge on an Italian. 

5. VAR and referee decisions 

The openness of the match officials so far at the tournament has caught the eye. 

The on-field decisions have been made very clear with the verdicts of the referees heard loudly. 

 Izuchukwu Michael

Photo Credit: fifa.com

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