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Nigeria kicked off their FIFA U-20 World Cup campaign with a win over the Dominican Republic, but it was not enough to put them on top.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles were bumped off the top spot in Group D of the FIFA U-20 World Cup despite beating the Dominican Republic 2-1 in their opening match.
Ladan Bosso’s boys kicked off their quest for a first world title with a hard-fought victory over the debutants on Sunday night.
Flying Eagles up and running
The Caribbean nation took the lead through a penalty from Edison Azcona in the 23rd minute, but Nigeria restored parity minutes later after an own Guillermo Ronaldo de Pena.
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Samson Adeniran Lawal then capitalised on a mistake at the back from the Dominican Republic to fire in the winner in the 70th minute.
Lawal’s winner temporarily put Nigeria on top of Group D but they were knocked off hours later after Italy secured a stunning 3-2 win over Brazil.
Italy claim top spot
The Italians raced into a three-goal lead in the first half, courtesy of Matteo Pratti’s 11th-minute opener and Chelsea star Cesare Casadei’s brace.
Although Brazil’s star boy Marcos Leonardo pulled two back late in the second half, Italy held on for a 3-2 win.
With the win, Italy overtook Nigeria by virtue of goals scored, even though they both have the same goal difference.
However, the Flying Eagles can regain top spot outrightly if they beat the young Italians in the top-of-the-table clash on May 24.
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The Flying Eagles will head to Argentina later in May with the intention to surpass Nigeria's best performance FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Nigeria then end their group-stage campaign with a clash against five-time champions Brazil on Saturday.
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