Nigeria’s Future Eagles have been knocked out of the Tier C competition at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival after a shock 6-3 defeat to Benin Republic on Wednesday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
After thrashing New Caledonia 7-0 in the Round of 32 this morning, Nigeria came into the Round of 16 full of confidence but were blown away by the U15 Guepards.
Captain Timothy Ijach led the fight with a brace – taking him to 11 goals in the tournament – and *Wisdom Boniface* also scored, but Benin were ruthless.
Benin responded with six goals of their own to secure a 6-3 win and book a place in the Tier C quarter-finals.
The result is a bitter blow. The Future Eagles had been the better side all tournament – finishing Group AD with 7 points (1 win, 4 draws), scoring 11 and conceding 10, before that emphatic 7-0 win over New Caledonia where Ijach hit a hat-trick, Muhammad scored twice, and Oche and Salu also netted.
But defensive frailties that had seen them concede in every group game finally cost them. They finish the tournament with 21 goals scored in 7 games.
Benin advance to face the winner of the Tier C quarter-final bracket on Thursday, while Nigeria will now play placement matches to determine final ranking before the tournament closes on Friday, 30 October.
The Future Eagles will return to action in the 73rd–80th-place play-offs against Rwanda on Thursday and a win will send Nigeria into the 73rd–76th-place semi-finals.
The Festival uses an 8-a-side format with two 20-minute halves, with teams split into six tiers based on group performance.
