Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles suffered a 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in the first leg of their second-round 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday.
Two first-half goals were enough to hand the hosts a crucial victory, giving them a comfortable advantage ahead of Tuesday’s return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
The Olympic Eagles made a bright start to the encounter and came close to taking the lead early on through Victor Samuel, who missed a golden one-on-one opportunity to put Nigeria ahead.
DR Congo broke the deadlock in the 15th minute in dramatic fashion after Nigerian goalkeeper Samuel James held onto the ball for more than eight seconds, in violation of the current rules, resulting in a corner kick for the hosts.
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The resulting corner was played short before Josué Kimboma delivered a dangerous cross into the box. Samuel James attempted to claim the ball but was pushed and lost possession. Despite making a desperate effort to recover, the goalkeeper was unable to prevent the ball from crossing the goal line.
Nigeria pushed for an equaliser but suffered another setback when winger Zadok Yohanna picked up an injury and was forced off the pitch.
DR Congo doubled their advantage in the 35th minute through another set-piece. This time, Kimboma delivered a free-kick into the box, which the Olympic Eagles failed to clear, allowing Filozofe Mabete to finish at the back post and put the hosts 2-0 ahead before half-time.
The Olympic Eagles continued to search for a way back into the game after the break, but DR Congo remained defensively solid and prevented the visitors from finding the net.
Nigeria came close to reducing the deficit with a powerful free-kick, but the effort went wide of the target. At the other end, substitute Candidat Mapendo missed a golden opportunity to extend DR Congo’s lead, as the match eventually ended 2-0.
The result means DR Congo will only need to avoid defeat in Tuesday’s return leg in Ikenne to secure qualification for the final round of the 2027 U-23 AFCON qualifiers.
However, the Olympic Eagles must secure at least a two-goal victory on home soil to keep their qualification hopes alive. Anything less would end Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s tournament in Egypt.
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