Flying Eagles captain Daniel Bameyi scored a late penalty to give Nigeria its first win at the ongoing FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile.
The central defender stepped up in the crucial moment of the pulsating tie to give the seven-time African champions the win over Saudi Arabia.
Nigeria and Saudi Arabia came into the tie seeking their first win of the tournament after losing their opening matches respectively.
Condemned to win to stand a chance in the second round, Salihu Nasiru put the Flying Eagles ahead in the 10th minute with a header from Suleiman Sani’s cross down the flanks.
However, the lead lasted only 11 minutes as poor communication in defense led to Amar Al Yuhaybi’s equalizer.
Nigeria continued to create chaos in attack and Amos Ochoche inadvertently powered a right footed cross-like ball into the back of the net.
Once again, the Flying Eagles failed to keep their lead for long as Talal Haji powered a header over Ebenezer Harcourt five minutes into the second half.
Both teams created little or no chances to take the lead leading into the regulation time but a handball in Saudi Arabia’s defense handed Aliyu Zabairu’s boys the chance to seal a late winner.
Daniel Bameyi with the heavyweight of responsibility stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to secure a 3-2 win for the Flying Eagles.
Nigeria currently the third on the log with 3 points from two matches and stand a chance of qualifying for the second round of they avoid defeat against Colombia on Monday.
