Nigeria’s Future Eagles finished the group stage of the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival unbeaten after recording a 2-1 victory over Cyprus and a 1-1 draw against Pakistan on Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Nigerian youngsters came from behind to defeat Cyprus before sharing the points with Pakistan in their final Group AD fixture.
Cyprus took the lead against Nigeria through Georgios Christodoulou in the 12th minute, but Wisdom Oche equalised five minutes later.
Captain Timothy Ogar Ijachi then scored the winning goal in the 26th minute to complete Nigeria’s comeback and secure their first victory of the tournament.
The Future Eagles were unable to make it two wins in a row against Pakistan, who took the lead through Kaleemullah Ullah in the 21st minute.
Nigeria responded four minutes later when Ijach reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the penalty area and scored to restore parity. Neither side found a winner as the match ended 1-1.
The results left Nigeria with seven points from five matches, having recorded one win and four draws. They scored 11 goals and conceded 10 during the group stage.
The competition uses an eight-a-side format, with matches played over two 20-minute halves. Teams progress into different tiers for the next phase based on their group-stage performances.
Nigeria will now prepare for the next stage of the tournament, scheduled for October 28 and 29, ahead of the tier finals on October 30.
