Nigeria’s U20 side, the Flying Eagles, delivered a spirited display to secure a spot in the Round of 16 after a 1-1 draw with Colombia in their final Group F match at the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile.

The seven-time African champions left it late in Talca, as captain Daniel Bameyi converted a crucial penalty to cancel out Kener Gonzalez’s opener for the South Americans.

Having suffered an opening-day loss to Norway and bounced back with a hard-fought win over Saudi Arabia, Aliyu Zubair’s boys knew that avoiding defeat would be enough to see them through.

Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt proved vital early on, pulling off two big saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes to keep Nigeria in the game. Meanwhile, the attacking trio of Tahir Maigana, Kparobo Arierhi, and Suleman Sani caused Colombia problems but couldn’t find the breakthrough in the first half.

Colombia took the lead six minutes after the restart when Gonzalez swept home from close range. That goal sparked the Flying Eagles into life, with Odinaka Okoro forcing a fine save in the 75th minute as Nigeria pushed for an equalizer.

Their persistence finally paid off in the 86th minute when Maigana’s goal-bound effort struck a Colombian hand inside the box. Bameyi made no mistake from the spot, coolly sending the keeper the wrong way to level the score.

Nigeria nearly stole all three points late on, but Arierhi’s close-range shot was blocked as the match ended 1-1. The result ensured the Flying Eagles advanced as one of the four best third-placed teams.

Up next, Nigeria will face tournament hosts Argentina at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago on Wednesday, while Colombia take on South Africa and Norway meet Paraguay in the Round of 16.