Nigeria's Future Eagles secured their first victory at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, defeating Cyprus 2-1 at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday to end a three-game winless streak.

The young Nigerians had struggled in Group AD, drawing all three of their opening fixtures — 3-3 against South Sudan, 2-2 against Jordan, and 3-3 against The Gambia — to accumulate just three points from a possible nine, with eight goals scored and eight conceded.

Coming from behind again

The Future Eagles were forced to rally once more after Georgios Christodoulou handed Cyprus the lead in the 12th minute. Wisdom Oche responded swiftly, restoring parity in the 17th minute with a leveller that steadied the Nigerian side.

Defender Timothy Ijach then proved the difference, netting what turned out to be the decisive goal in the 26th minute to put Nigeria 2-1 ahead — a lead they would not relinquish.

Final group game awaits

The Future Eagles return to action later on Monday for their concluding Group AD fixture against Pakistan, scheduled for 3:15pm local time. The result against Cyprus gives the squad momentum heading into that final group-stage outing.

The tournament is being contested in an eight-a-side format, with each match played across two 20-minute halves. Now in its inaugural edition, it is FIFA's largest-ever youth tournament, featuring all 189 member associations competing in Baku from October 22 to 31.

Group-stage results will determine which tier each nation enters for the second phase, due to take place on October 28 and 29, with tier finals scheduled for October 30.