China Invitational: Golden Eaglets stunned by Tanzania in tournament opener

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets began their campaign at the four-nation invitational tournament in China with a 3-2 loss to Tanzania on Sunday.

Tanzania made a strong start to the match and took a two-goal lead in the first half through strikes from Issa Chole and Hamisi Chenga.

The Golden Eaglets improved after the break and managed to pull one goal back following sustained pressure on their opponents. However, Tanzania restored their two-goal advantage when Kassim Juma scored with an impressive effort.

Nigeria continued to fight and scored another goal later in the game, but it was not enough to prevent defeat as Tanzania held on for a 3-2 victory.

The team, coached by Uwejamomere Eboboritse, will now shift focus to their next fixture against Australia on Wednesday.

The invitational tournament is part of Nigeria’s preparations for the WAFU B U-17 Championship scheduled for September.

The regional competition will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

Despite the disappointing result, the Golden Eaglets will be hoping to learn valuable lessons from the match as they continue their build-up to upcoming international competitions.