CAF U-23 qualifier: Nigeria lose by a lone goal in Sudan

The U-23 team of Sudan defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the first leg final round of the CAF U-23 Olympics qualifier played at the Al Merriekh Stadium in Omdurman Thursday.

The U-23 team of Sudan defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the first leg final round of the CAF U-23 Olympics qualifier played at the Al Merriekh Stadium in Omdurman on Thursday.
The Eagles had a fair share of dominance in the opening minutes with strikers Stephen Odey and Taiwo Awoniyi missing a couple of chances too.
Odey was particularly guilty of wasting a good chance from close range with the goalkeeper at his mercy in the 22nd minute.
In the 38th minute, Awoniyi was brought down in the penalty box but his call for a penalty was turned down by the referee.
Odey was, however, the most exciting player for Nigeria in the first half but his misses came back to haunt his team as Sudan took the lead against the run of play in the closing seconds of the first half.
A clever backheel from Walaa El Din broke the deadlock after Nigeria failed to clear their lines following a swift counter-attack from Sudan. Both teams went into the break with the host leading.
In the second half, the home team continued from where they left off with some nice interchange of passes and almost doubled their lead twice but the brilliance of goalkeeper Abubakar Adamu stopped them.
Adamu made a great save in the 47th minute from a chance created from a counterattacking move by the Sudanese.
Coach Imama Amapakabo made three substitutions in a desperate bid to get the equaliser but that did little to change the scoreline as the match ended 1-0 in favour of Sudan.
The return leg fixture is scheduled for September 10 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, with the U-23 Eagles needing to win with a two-goal margin to qualify for the CAF U-23 Olympic qualifier in Egypt later in the year.