Nigeria’s Future Eagles thrashed New Caledonia 7-0 on Wednesday to advance to the Tier C Round of 16 at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The emphatic victory extended Nigeria’s unbeaten run to six matches in the competition and marked their biggest win of the tournament so far.

Captain Timothy Ijach starred with a hat-trick, while Abdulrazak Muhammad scored twice. Wisdom Oche and Mayowa Salu were also on target as Nigeria 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 the Nigerian youngsters a 3-0 lead.

Muhammad added the fourth goal in the 21st minute, before Ijach completed his hat-trick in the 35th minute.

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Muhammad then grabbed his second four minutes later, while Salu rounded off the scoring in the 40th minute to seal a comprehensive victory.

The result sends the Future Eagles into 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 phase after finishing third in Group AD with seven points from five matches, recording one win 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 uses a tier-based format, allowing teams to continue competing for honours even after missing out on the top two tiers.

The Future Eagles will now aim to carry their attacking momentum into the next round as they continue their quest for a strong finish in the competition.

The tier finals are scheduled for Friday, October 30.