Ten-man Flying Eagles were today held to a 1-1 draw by Cote d’Ivoire in their opening Group B match of the U20 AFCON qualifiers in Porto Novo, Benin Republic.
Defender Chris Nwaeze gave Nigeria the lead on 61 minutes, when he headed home a free kick taken by Wisdom Ubani.
Nwaeze turned from hero to zero when he was sent off for a second booking in the 69th minute.
With numerical advantage, the Ivorians drew level on the dot of full time.
The Nigeria U20s created chances but failed to out them away particularly in the first period.
The Flying Eagles will now be under pressure to win their final group game against perennial rivals Ghana on Wednesday at the same venue.
