Olympic Eagles Suffer 2-0 Defeat to DR Congo in U23 AFCON Qualifier
Nigeria’s U23 national team, the Olympic Eagles, have suffered a 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in the first leg of their qualifying tie for the 2027 CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Congolese side took advantage of their opportunities in the first half, scoring twice to put themselves in a strong position ahead of Tuesday’s return encounter.
Nigeria started the match with hopes of securing a positive result but failed to convert their early chances before the hosts broke the deadlock in the 20th minute.
DR Congo continued to threaten and increased their advantage 20 minutes later with a well-taken free kick that left the Olympic Eagles facing a two-goal deficit at the interval.
Nigeria's problems were compounded in the 30th minute when Zadok Yohanna was forced off with an injury, prompting an early change in the attacking department.
The Olympic Eagles attempted to respond after the restart and created opportunities to reduce the deficit, but their efforts yielded no goal as DR Congo maintained their defensive discipline.
The final whistle confirmed a 2-0 victory for the hosts, leaving Nigeria with a difficult task in the return leg.
The Olympic Eagles must now overturn the two-goal deficit when both teams meet again at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, November 17, if they are to keep their qualification hopes alive.
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