The Flying Eagles of Nigeria forced Ukraine to a 1-1 draw at a chilly Bielsko-Biala Stadium to close out Group D at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019 on Thursday.
Employing their tried-and-true strategy of congesting the middle with three central defenders, Ukraine frustrated the Flying Eagles attack for much of the first half. Danylo Sikan headed home from close range in the 30th minute to give Ukraine a 1-0 lead.
Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin denied Muhamed Tijani’s penalty seconds before half-time, but could not duplicate the feat when Tijani earned another spot-kick in the 47th minute. After VAR confirmed that Denys Popov handled Tijani’s shot on goal, the Nigerian forward fired past Lunin to ensure the two sides shared the spoils.
Already guaranteed a place in the knockout stage, the result earned the Ukrainians top spot in Group D with seven points. A superior goal difference means Nigeria will also continue their World Cup expedition, taking four points from three matches and finishing third in the group and may face Group A winners and fellow African flagbearers Senegal in the Round of 16, in the city of Lodz on Monday.
The third matchday in Groups C and D was dominated by Norway’s 12-0 win over Honduras and a nine-goal haul for Erling Haland. Despite their resounding victory, the Scandinavians face a nervous wait for today’s results in Groups E and F before they discover their fate.
Uruguay secured top spot in Group C without dropping a point after a 2-0 victory over New Zealand, who conceded their first goals at this tournament. Nevertheless, the Kiwis have booked their place in the Round of 16 as section runners-up.
In Group D, a 1-1 draw was enough for Ukraine to win their group and progress unbeaten. The Flying Eagles finished third on four points, though this was still enough to reach the knockout phase, while USA finished above Nigeria in second after beating Qatar 1-0.
Memorable moments
Two new records: Norway’s dozen goals sealed the biggest win in the history of the tournament and also marked the highest goal tally for one player in a single game. The competition record was previously held by Adailton, who netted six for Brazil in a 10-3 win against Korea Republic in 1997. If Norway qualify for the Round of 16, another record will be under threat, with Argentina’s Javier Saviola scoring an as-yet-unsurpassed 11 goals at the 2001 edition.
Still neck and neck: The final matchday of the group stage will be packed with drama. In Groups E and F, even Saudi Arabia and South Africa still have a chance of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams, despite failing to pick up a point so far. Norway, together with Ecuador in Group B, will watch on nervously from their hotel as they await the results.
Up next
Friday 31 May, all times local
Group E
Mali-France (Gdynia, 18:00)
Saudi Arabia-Panama (Bydgoszcz, 18:00)
Group F
Korea Republic-Argentina (Tychy, 20:30)
South Africa-Portugal (Bielsko-Biala, 20:30)
