Argentina and Colombia advance to Under-20 World Cup quarters

Argentina and Colombia advanced to the Under-20 World quarter-finals in Chile on Wednesday after eliminating Nigeria and South Africa, on the same day Paraguay suffered a crushing defeat after Norway’s only attack.

The Albiceleste were established favorites from the start. They took the lead during the first passage of play, when a poor Nigerian clearance allowed Bayer Leverkusen striker Alejo Sarco to score his fourth goal of the tournament in the second minute.

A great free kick from midfielder Maher Carrizo in the 23rd minute extended their lead against the Green Eagles in a nearly empty Estadio Nacional in Santiago.

Nigeria then went all-out attack, allowing Argentina to defeat their defensive high line.

Carrizo scored his second in the 53rd minute, making it three.

Forward Mateo Silvetti sealed the victory after dribbling past an opponent inside the box to make it 4-0 in the 66th minute.

"We're living a dream. Playing in a World Cup isn't something that happens every day, and we're going to try to go as far as possible," said Sarco, the tournament's top scorer.

Argentina’s next opponent will be Mexico on Saturday, in Santiago.

Colombia reconciles itself with goals

Los Cafeteros, the Colombian national team, reached the next round with a scare – they qualified for the second round as group leaders but only scored two goals, despite having 41 shots on target over their group game..

At the Estadio Fiscal in Talca, about 250 kilometers south of Santiago, Colombia quickly found the net with a shot from winger Joel Canchimbo in the eighth minute.

What seemed like a quiet afternoon turned sour at the start of the second half. After a slip and poor control, Colombian goalkeeper Jordan García brought down striker Siviwe Magidigidi, resulting in a penalty.

Midfielder Mfundo Vilakazi missed the shot, but the penalty would be retaken because goalkeeper García stepped forward before making the save. On the second attempt, the African leveled the score in the 49th minute.

A run inside the box fell to striker Neyser Villarreal, who shot while falling and put the Colombians back in front in the 63rd minute.

Villarreal himself sealed the match in the final play after a through ball, giving the South Americans some peace of mind.

"It was the victory we were looking for, with good play, with hard work, and now we're looking ahead to Spain in the quarterfinals," Villarreal said after the victory.

Results of Wednesday’s U-20 World Cup Round of 16 matches: