Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have set up a mouth-watering last-16 meeting with Germany after beating Hungary 2-0 in the final Group E game played on Sunday morning.
Two strikes from Taiwo Awoniyi was all the reigning African youth champions needed to silence Bernd Storck’s team who started the game brightly.
With this victory, the Flying Eagles will now face European champions, Germany in the second round of the tournament billed for June 11 at the Christchurch Stadium.
Brazil led the group with the maximum nine points, after beating the boys from North Korea 3-0. Brazil will next meet Uruguay, same day that Nigeria will play Germany.
The Flying Eagles’ first chance came in the 16th minute when Awoniyi’s short range header was saved by goalkeeper Gyorgy Szekely, who gave a good account of himself in the highly entertaining encounter.
When it looked like the first half would end goalless, Awoniyi got the curtain raiser in the 33rd minute after volleying past Szekely from the near post after receiving a low cross from impressive Saviour Godwin.
On resumption of the second half, Manu Garba’s team continued their dominant play – though Mario Nemeth had a couple of chances to put his team back but Joshua Enaholo put up a brave fight.
In the 54th minute, Awoniyi doubled his lead after rounding the Hungarian goalkeeper before slotting into an empty net after a moment of carelessness from the Europeans’ backline. No goals were recorded after then, as Nigeria cruised to the last 16 where they will face Germany in the knock out phase.
The Hungarians still qualify, though, as one of the best third-placed teams and will now kick off the knockout phase against Group D winners Serbia in Dunedin.
Nonetheless, they were well beaten at New Plymouth’s Taranaki Stadium, with Taiwo Awoniyi’s brace no more than the African champions deserved for their overall dominance.
Manu Garba’s wards were the better side throughout, nullifying four-goal forward Bence Mervo and providing a constant threat at the other end. They would have taken the lead as early as the 16th minute but for an incredible save from Gyorgy Szekely, who stuck out a strong right hand to beat away Awoniyi’s powerful close range header.
The Hungary keeper was merely delaying the inevitable though and was helpless to prevent the deadlock being broken 17 minutes later. Awoniyi was the scorer, ghosting away from his marker to volley in at the near post from Saviour Godwin’s teasing low cross.
The Europeans rarely threatened a comeback but did produce one effort of note a few minutes into the second half. Mario Nemeth was just a couple of inches away from a wonder goal, in fact, having taken aim from 30 yards and rattled the crossbar with Joshua Enaholo beaten.
However, the points – and second place – were secured in the 54th minutes when Awoniyi doubled his and tally. It was a goal that neither Attila Osvath or Akos Kecskes will want to watch again, with the Hungary duo having both gone up for the same header at the halfway line, collided and missed the ball entirely.
Awoniyi could hardly believe his luck and, though he still had some work to do, he did it in style, dribbling past a covering defender before rounding Szekely and tucking the ball into the unguarded net.
Three other African representatives will play on 10 June. Ghana will meet Mali in Wellington while Senegal has a date with Ukraine in Auckland.
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