Nigeria’s Future Eagles recorded a victory and a draw in their latest fixtures at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival after beating Cyprus 2-1 before settling for a 1-1 draw against Pakistan on Monday.
The Nigerian youngsters came from behind to defeat Cyprus in their opening match, with Wisdom Oche and substitute Timothy Ijach scoring to secure the comeback victory.
Cyprus took the lead in the 12th minute through Georgios Christodoulou, but Nigeria responded five minutes later as Oche restored parity.
Ijach then completed the turnaround in the 26th minute, scoring what proved to be the winning goal as the Future Eagles held on to claim their first victory of the tournament.
However, Nigeria were unable to build on the result against Pakistan in their final group fixture, settling for a 1-1 draw despite creating opportunities to secure another win.
The draw denied the Future Eagles back-to-back victories as they struggled to reproduce the attacking efficiency that had earned them success against Cyprus.
Nigeria had hoped to finish their group campaign on a positive note following their comeback triumph, but Pakistan proved a difficult opponent, with the sides sharing the spoils.
The results offered the Nigerian youngsters valuable experience against international opposition as they continue their development at the youth level.
The FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival provides a platform for young players to gain competitive exposure and develop their skills against peers from other countries.
The Future Eagles will look to build on the positives from their victory over Cyprus while addressing the shortcomings exposed by the draw against Pakistan as they continue their campaign.
