Norway coach insists they could have punished Flying Eagles more in U20 World Cup opener

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria came agonisingly close to a dramatic comeback but were left empty-handed as Norway secured a narrow 1-0 win in their FIFA U20 World Cup opener on Monday night.

Norway coach Bjørn Johansen admitted his team had been stretched to the limit by the seven-time African champions and insisted they could have punished the Flying Eagles more.

Flying Eagles start brightly but fall behind to VAR penalty

The Flying Eagles almost stunned Norway within the opening three minutes when Kparobo Arierhi rattled the crossbar with a thunderous strike.

Norway, however, went ahead soon after. A VAR review penalised a handball in the Nigerian box, and Rasmus Holten stepped up to convert the spot-kick with composure.

The Scandinavians nearly doubled their advantage before halftime when Luca Hoyland produced a mazy run, but Gustav Nyheim failed to apply the finish from close range—a let-off that kept Nigeria in the contest.

Nigeria’s second-half surge falls short

The Flying Eagles came out with renewed determination after the break, pinning Norway deep in their own half.

The Nigerians created several chances, with substitute Tahir Maigana coming closest when his effort cannoned off the post.

Despite their relentless pressure, Nigeria could not find the breakthrough, leaving them to rue missed opportunities as the Norwegians held on for all three points.

Johansen admitted his team struggled under Nigeria’s intense pressing and had to dig deep defensively.

“It was a thrilling match. Nigeria were on us the whole time, but we managed to use the ball a little more in the first half and could have punished them once more,” Johansen told the official website of the Norwegian Federation.

“In the second half it was a defensive game where we had to take on the opposition. We were too bad with the ball after the break because the spaces were perhaps even bigger then.

We have to tighten that up when we face Colombia, even though I don’t think they are as eager to press as Nigeria.”

Despite the pressure, the Norwegian coach praised his players’ resilience.

“It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe. It was incredibly delicious.”