FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival: Nigerias Future Eagles beat Cyprus for first win

Nigeria’s Future Eagles secured their first victory at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival with a 2-1 comeback win over Cyprus in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday morning.

The result ended a run of three successive draws in Group AD, giving Nigeria four points from four matches.

Cyprus went ahead at the Hovsan Competition Complex when Georgios Christodoulou scored in the 12th minute. The Future Eagles responded quickly, with Wisdom Oche equalising five minutes later.

Defender Timothy Ijach completed the turnaround in the 26th minute, scoring the goal that gave Nigeria their first win of the tournament.

The Future Eagles had begun their group campaign with a 3-3 draw against South Sudan before drawing 2-2 with Jordan and 3-3 with The Gambia. Those results left them with three points from three games, having scored eight goals and conceded eight.

Nigeria will complete their group fixtures later on Monday against Pakistan, with kick-off scheduled for 3:15pm.

The tournament is being played in an eight-a-side format, with each match consisting of two 20-minute halves. It is FIFA’s largest-ever youth tournament, with 189 member associations participating between October 22 and 31.

Results in the group stage will determine which tier each country enters during the second phase, which will take place on October 28 and 29. The tier finals are scheduled for October 30.