Nigeria’s Sand Eagles put up a spirited display but fell to a 6-4 defeat against defending African champions Senegal in the first of their two international friendly matches in Kaduna on Saturday.
The entertaining encounter, played at the Murtala Muhammed Square Beach Soccer Pitch, provided the Sand Eagles with a stern test as they continue preparations for their upcoming CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying clash against Ghana.
Senegal took the lead through Seydina Laye Diagne before Nigeria quickly restored parity through Hassan Abdullahi.
The visitors regained their advantage in clinical fashion, taking their lead to 4-1 before Hassan struck again, with the Nigerian scoring all four of the Sand Eagles’ goals.
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Senegal’s remaining goals came from Mamadou Sylla, who netted a hat-trick, Jean-Paul Ninou Diatta and Asane Ba as the defending champions secured victory in a competitive encounter.
Hassan’s impressive four-goal performance earned him the Man-of-the-Match award despite Nigeria’s defeat.
The Sand Eagles will have another opportunity to test themselves against the African champions when both teams meet again at the same venue on Monday morning.
The two matches were arranged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to provide Nigeria with valuable match sharpness ahead of their Beach Soccer AFCON qualifying tie against Ghana’s Black Sharks.
For Senegal, the friendlies form part of their preparations for the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations, which they will host from November 7 to 15 as defending champions.
Senegal, who arrived in Nigeria with a 12-man squad and six officials, have already secured their place at the continental tournament by virtue of their status as hosts.
Sand Eagles head coach Abdullahi Isa had earlier welcomed the opportunity to face Senegal, describing the defending champions as an ideal test for his players ahead of the Ghana qualifier.
The second friendly in Kaduna will give Isa another chance to assess his squad before the Sand Eagles turn their attention fully to their crucial continental qualifying campaign.
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