The Golden Eaglets played to a scoreless draw against Burkina Faso in a tightly contested physical match to kick off their campaign in the WAFU B U17 AFCON qualifying tournament in Accra, Ghana.
The first half was highly competitive, with both teams evenly matched in this Group B encounter, which could have gone either way.
Striker Rapha Adams had an early opportunity but shot directly at the Burkina Faso goalkeeper after just five minutes.
In the 17th minute, goalkeeper Chinedu Dominic kept the Burkinabes from scoring by parrying a goal-bound shot for a corner.
Nigeria’s best chance came in the 26th minute when midfielder Abdulmuiz Oladimeji failed to capitalize on a setup from the impressive captain Simon Cletus.
Moments later, the larger Junior Stallions once again threatened Nigeria’s goal, but the Eaglets managed to avert the danger.
Midway through the second half, captain Cletus had a clear chance to put his team ahead but opted to pass instead of shooting for the goal.
Late in the game, heavy rain made the pitch nearly unplayable, adding to the challenging conditions.
In the dying moments, Burkina Faso were saved by their goalpost as Nigeria pressed hard for a winning goal.
Golden Eaglets Starting XI vs Burkina Faso (4-3-3): Chinedu Dominic – Sylvester Chika, Daniel Mendie, Abdulwaris Yunus, Boluwatife Ekishola – Destiny Samuel (John Ogwuche), Abdulmuiz Oladimeji, Simon Cletus (Captain) – Imrana Muhammad (Abdulmuiz Adeleke), Rapha Adams, Ibrahim Abdulganiyu