Brazil humble Flying Eagles

Brazil beat Nigeria’s Flying Eagles 4-2 in a dramatic and hugely entertaining game at New Plymouth’s Taranaki Stadium at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.

                       

According to a report on FIFA.com, this meeting involving the African champions and the five-time U-20 World Cup winners Brazil, more than lived up to its billing.

But the South Americans triumphed in the long run in a game neither side deserved to lose.

It was a game with everything: brilliant goals, outrageous skill, flowing moves and, at the end, a horrible error.

The crowd were enraptured from the word go and they had a goal to celebrate inside four minutes.

Judivan, who would go on to play a huge role, slipped in Joao Pedro and the overlapping right-back’s low cross set up Gabriel Jesus for a crisp close-range finish.

Brazil were good value for this early lead, having started the sharper of the two sides, but it was not long before Nigeria began flexing their muscles.

Indeed, the Flying Eagles had already hit the post when they drew level just seven minutes after going behind.

It was a wonderful goal too, with Musa Yahaya sending an outrageous through ball for Success Isaac to race through, round the keeper and slot coolly into the unguarded net.

That sent Nigerian confidence soaring and they added a second after 28 minutes with yet another well-crafted strike.

This time the net bulged at the end of a slick breakaway.

This was already a wonderful game but if the crowd thought it could not get any better, they were wrong.

Parity was restored before half-time as Jesus, the scorer of Brazil’s opening goal, turned provider with another brilliant pass.

His back-heel through the legs of Onyinye Ndidi was measured perfectly into the path of Judivan, who steadied himself and fired low and powerfully beyond the helpless Joshua Enaholo.

The electrifying standard was not quite maintained in the second half, but there were still two more goals to savour — both from Brazil.

First, Boschilia put them in front just before the hour-mark with a low 25-yard shot that swerved wildly before clipping the inside of the post on its way in.

Then a calamitous error by Enaholo gifted Brazil the points, with the goalkeeper allowing the ball to squirm through legs and enabling Judivan to smash the ball home from a few centimetres out.

The loss pushed Nigeria into third place and Brazil into second place in the group, after Hungary beat Korea DPR 5-1 in the other Group E match.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Flying Eagles now have to redeem themselves on Thursday when they take on Korea DPR in their second match.

They will be needing to win to have a chance of advancing to the next round.