Nigeria were forced to a goalless draw by Morocco at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday night in their second Group B match at the ongoing U20 Africa Cup of Nations, Footynaija.com reports.
Both teams arrived for the encounter in top form after recording opening-day victories: Nigeria edged to a 1-0 win over Tunisia, while Morocco came from behind to claim a 3-2 victory against Kenya.
However, a game that promised fireworks in attack turned into a masterclass in defensive performance as both teams cancelled each other out.
In a game with few chances, the Flying Eagles came closest to breaking the deadlock with striker Precious Benjamin causing Morocco a few worrying moments.
Benjamin, preferred to lead the attack in. place of Kparobo Arierhi, fired a freekick narrowly over before seeing his low drive turned around by the Moroccan goalkeeper shortly before the break.
For their controlled possession and careful build-up play, Morocco failed to test Nigeria’s goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt throughout the match.
In the end, the two nations settled for a share of the spoils, which keeps them jointly atop Group B. Tunisia climbed to third place after beating Kenya 3-1 earlier in the day.
Nigeria’s last group game is against Kenya with the Flying Eagles needing to avoid defeat in that encounter to advance to the knockout stage and secure a spot at the FIFA U-20 World Cup later in the year.