Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat against DR Congo in the first leg of their second-round 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie on Friday at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi.
The Nigerian side endured a difficult afternoon, conceding twice in the opening 40 minutes to leave themselves with a significant deficit ahead of next week’s return fixture.
DR Congo took the lead in the 20th minute through an unfortunate own goal by Nigeria goalkeeper Samuel James.
The opening goal came amid controversy after James appeared to have been impeded inside the penalty area, but the referee allowed play to continue, leaving the Olympic Eagles frustrated by the decision.
Nigeria had opportunities to take control of the encounter before falling behind, with Samuel missing an earlier chance to score in a one-on-one situation in the ninth minute after his initial attempt had gone wide.
The visitors also suffered an injury setback when Zadok Yohanna was forced off in the 30th minute, with his replacement introduced as Nigeria attempted to reorganise their attacking options.
However, DR Congo continued to put pressure on the Nigerian defence and doubled their advantage in the 40th minute through Filozofe Mabete, who converted a free-kick to make it 2-0.
The Olympic Eagles went into the half-time interval trailing by two goals and faced the challenge of producing a strong response to avoid returning home with a heavy disadvantage.
The result gives DR Congo an advantage ahead of the second leg, although Nigeria will have another opportunity to fight back when both teams meet again on Tuesday, November 17.
U-23 Eagles
The return fixture will take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State, with the Olympic Eagles needing to overturn the two-goal deficit to keep their qualification hopes alive.
