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Super Eagles Seeth After World Cup Thrashing

Nigeria's Under 20's were left humiliated in the Round of 16 stage in the U20 World Cup yesterday evening, being suitably dismissed 4-0 by Argentina to end their spell in the tournament in a brutal fashion.

The match, which took place at the Estadio Nacional Julion Martinez Pradanos in Santiago (hell of a name), saw six-time tournament winners Argentina take a total grip of the game for the duration, avenging a 2-0 loss against the Flying Eagles from two years ago when Argentina were hosting the tournament.

Nigeria's fans are far from happy with the result and the end of their World Cup prospects at youth level, taking aim at coach Aliyu Zubairu, goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt and the general direction of the youth levels of the team itself.

Fans Take to X In Wake of Crushing Defeat

The backlash to the team's performance online has been heavily critical, with plenty of fans pointing the blame at Zubairu for a lack of tactical direction, as well as goalkeeper Harcourt for his mistakes that cost the team several goals.

One page claimed that the current crop of under-20s in the Nigerian setup were "beyond terrible" whilst another claimed that Harcourt was a "weapon fashioned against us."

Flying Eagles is trending in Nigeria because netizens have expressed severe disappointment and irritation with the under-20 football team, following a shocking 4-0 loss to Argentina on Wednesday, October 8.

The crushing loss has led some football enthusiasts to lay blame on the… pic.twitter.com/MDjmSuox2V
— Why It Is Trending (@trendingblog247) October 9, 2025

Zubairu took responsibility for the poor display in a post-match press conference, stating that an early finish from Alejo Sarco in just the second minute of play heavily disrupted their fortunes and setup for the contest.

🚨🇳🇬 Nigeria Flying Eagles coach Zubairu speaks after 4-0 defeat against Argentina.

Watch here — https://t.co/e59jizfVnK pic.twitter.com/pIRcJPVMek
— GNB Official (@GHNaijaBallers) October 8, 2025

The loss has also sparked old debates over deeper problems in Nigerian football that include allegations of corruption and a "quota system" – players' selections being influenced by regional representation rather than sporting merit, which can undermine team quality.

Fans argue this contributes to recurring underperformance at youth levels, calling for reforms in scouting and development. As Argentina marches on, Nigerian supporters are left reflecting on what could have been as their U20 World Cup journey comes to an abrupt close.

Fans are making the argument that this is contributing to a continual underperformance through the youth levels in the nation, making calls for reforms in player selection and development. As Argentina make their way to the quarter-finals, Nigerian fans are left furious with their Round of 16 display that brought a brutal end to their time in Chile.