Flying Eagles head coach, Aliyu Zubairu has reacted to his team’s stalemate with Colombia, NEWSUNPLUG reports.
The West Africans held Colombia to a 1-1 draw in their last group game at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup on Monday morning.
The draw was enough for the Flying Eagles Nigeria to secure a place in the Round of 16 where they will face Argentina.
Kener Gonzalez gave Colombia the lead six minutes after the break.
Captain Daniel Bameyi, however, restored parity for Nigeria in the 86th minute.
Zubairu said the target for his team was to earn a place in the knockout round.
“It wasn’t easy but we stood our ground and were proactive. We knew they were physically strong and good on the ball so we tried to deny them passing lanes and that gave us a little edge.
“All we wanted was to qualify for the next round and we are not worried about who we have to face,” Zubairu was quoted by FIFA.com.
The Flying Eagles finished third in Group F with four points from three games.