Nigeria recovered from their opening defeat to Portugal by handing Cuba a 3-0 beating in their FIFA U20 World Cup clash on Monday.

Animu Umar struck a first half double before captain Abdul Ajagun netted his third of the tournament - boosting their hopes of reaching the next round.

The game got off to a slow start with Chidi Osuchukwu going closest with a long-range free-kick, before Ajagun went close with a lobbed attempt at full pace which dropped onto the roof of the net.

The opener would arrive soon though as Ajagun found Olarenwaju Kayode on the wing and he burst clear before picking out Umar for a simple finish.

The second goal was quite brilliant with Umar flicking a shot into the bottom corner after being found by a drilled cross from Abdullahi Shehu.

Olaitan Michael went close to netting a third but his shot came back off the outside of the post as Cuba struggled to get into the game.

The Africans continued to dominate after the break with Kayode firing just wide before unsuccessfully trying to find a teammate soon after when he should have had a crack himself.

Ajagun would get a deserved goal in the 67th minute though as he latched onto a cross from Kingsley Madu to head home. He should have completed his brace late on after Kayode was fouled in the area but he was unable to convert from the spot.