Nigeria’s Future Eagles have advanced to the Tier C Round of 16 at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, after thrashing New Caledonia 7-0 on Wednesday.
The emphatic victory extended Nigeria’s unbeaten run in the competition to six matches and marked their biggest win of the tournament so far.
Captain Timothy Ijach stole the show with a hat-trick, while Abdulrazak Muhammad scored twice. Wisdom Oche and Mayowa Salu were also on target as the Nigerian youngsters delivered a commanding performance.
Oche opened the scoring just 60 seconds into the encounter before Ijach struck twice in the 12th and 16th minutes to give Nigeria a comfortable 3-0 lead.
Muhammad extended the advantage in the 21st minute before Ijach completed his hat-trick in the 35th minute.
Muhammad then scored his second goal four minutes later, while Salu rounded off the scoring in the 40th minute to complete the rout.
The result secured the Future Eagles’ place in the last 16 of the Tier C bracket, where they will face the winner of the tie between the Republic of Benin and Cuba.
Nigeria entered the knockout stage after finishing third in Group AD with seven points from five matches, recording one victory and four draws.
The team scored 11 goals and conceded 10 during the group stage, with Ijach emerging as one of their standout performers.
The tournament’s tier-based format allows teams that do not qualify for the top two tiers to continue competing for honours in their respective brackets.
Following their dominant display against New Caledonia, the Future Eagles will aim to maintain their attacking momentum as they pursue a strong finish in the competition.
The tier finals are scheduled for Friday, 30 October.
