Nigeria’s Future Eagles draw opening two matches at FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival

Nigeria’s U15 side, the Future Eagles, have drawn both of their opening matches at the FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, scoring five goals and conceding five.

Patrick Bassey’s team began the tournament with a 3-3 draw against South Sudan on Saturday.

South Sudan took the lead before Wisdom Boniface equalised for Nigeria. The Sudanese side moved ahead again, but captain Timothy Ogar restored parity shortly before half-time.

Wisdom Oche then put the Future Eagles in front during the second half. However, South Sudan scored again less than a minute before the final whistle to secure a share of the points.

Nigeria were involved in another high-scoring game against Jordan on Sunday morning, although neither side found the net during the opening period.

Ogar gave the Future Eagles the lead after the interval, but Jordan equalised five minutes later. The Jordanians then moved in front before Abdulrazak Muftau struck with the final kick of the match to make it 2-2.

Nigeria will face fellow West African side The Gambia on Sunday evening.

The Future Eagles are scheduled to meet Cyprus early on Monday morning, before playing Pakistan later that afternoon.

The inaugural competition is being contested in an eight-a-side format, with each match comprising two 20-minute halves.

Results in the group stage will determine the tier in which each nation continues in the second phase. That stage will be played on 28th and 29th October, with the tier finals scheduled for Friday, 30th October.