Nigeria’s Future Eagles ended the first stage of the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival with a 1-1 draw against Pakistan on Monday afternoon in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Pakistan took the lead in the 21st minute through star forward Kaleemullah Ullah, who was fed right beside the penalty spot and converted clinically for his second goal of the day after also scoring against Jordan earlier.
But the Future Eagles responded four minutes later as Timothy Ijach restored parity in the 25th minute after reacting quickest to a loose ball in the box to poke home.
The result means Nigeria finished the first stage with seven points from five matches – one win and four draws – unbeaten in Group AD.
Also Read: FIFA U-15 W/Cup & Festival: Future Eagles Beat Cyprus 2-1 To End Winless Run
The team scored 11 goals and conceded 10 across the group stage, showing attacking promise but also defensive fragility in the innovative eight-a-side format (two 20-minute halves).
Meanwhile, the Future Eagles will now await the second phase, where group results determine which of six performance-based tiers they will compete in on October 28 and 29, before tier finals on October 30.
The U-15 World Cup and Festival tournament is FIFA’s largest-ever youth event with 189 member associations.
By James Agberebi
