Salisu Yusuf lead Nigeria home based Eagles suffered a 0-1 loss away to Benin Republic in the first leg of their 2018 CHAN Qualifiers tie no thanks to a late penalty.
Afeez Aremu failed to properly clear a ball in the box of Nigeria and in an attempt to make atonement for his error he ended up giving a penalty to the host in the 90th minute of play.
Goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa was beaten by the well struck penalty, the only blemish to the solid game he had between the sticks for the home based team of Nigeria.
The captain was big when he needed to be, and pulled several saves to keep his side in the game before the penalty which he failed to stop late in the game.
Benin Republic will take on the CHAN Eagles in the return leg fixture on the 19th in Kano state Nigeria, precisely at the Sani Abacha Stadium. The home ground of Nigeria Premier League side Kano Pillars
Ade Emmanuel
