Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles suffered a damaging setback in their quest to reach the 2028 Olympic Games after losing 2-0 to DR Congo in the first leg of their second-round 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie in Lubumbashi on Friday.
Two first-half goals, including an own goal by goalkeeper and captain Samuel James, left Nigeria with a difficult task ahead of Tuesday’s return fixture in Ikenne.
The defeat means the Olympic Eagles must overturn a two-goal deficit on home soil to keep their qualification campaign on track and move closer to a place at the 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt.
Nigeria’s afternoon began to unravel in the 15th minute when James failed to gather a cross delivered into the penalty area.
The goalkeeper’s handling error resulted in an own goal, handing the hosts an early advantage and forcing the visitors to chase the game.
The Olympic Eagles had hoped to negotiate the difficult away fixture without giving DR Congo a significant advantage before the return leg. Instead, they found themselves trailing after a moment they would have wanted to avoid.
The situation worsened 20 minutes later. Filozofe Mabete doubled DR Congo’s lead in the 35th minute, bundling the ball into the net after Nigeria failed to clear their lines.
The second goal gave the hosts a two-goal cushion before half-time and left Nigeria facing an uphill battle in the remainder of the contest.
Olympic Eagles face decisive test in Ikenne
The defeat was Nigeria’s first competitive outing in the qualifying campaign after they received a bye in the opening round.
DR Congo, meanwhile, reached the second round by overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Mauritania, winning the return fixture 2-0 at home to progress.
Nigeria will now have to produce a much-improved performance when both teams meet again on Tuesday, November 17, at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The winner over the two legs will advance to the final qualifying round in March 2027, where they will face either Sierra Leone or Burkina Faso.
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The 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt will determine Africa’s representatives for the men’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, giving Nigeria an opportunity to return to a competition they have missed in the last two editions.
The Olympic Eagles failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Games after missing out on the previous U-23 AFCON tournaments.
Nigeria last featured at the U-23 AFCON in 2019, when they were eliminated in the group stage. Their only title in the competition came in 2015 under former Nigeria international Samson Siasia, when they were crowned champions in Senegal.
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