Nigeria edged closer towards qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympics with a 2-1 victory over Congo Brazzaville in Port Harcourt.
It was sweet revenge for Nigeria whose senior side lost 3-2 to Claude Le Roy’s Congo last year in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier – a result which ultimately denied the Super Eagles a place at the finals and a chance to defend their title.
Nigeria boast a proud Olympics football record, having won gold medals at the Atlanta Games in 1996.
They also finished runners-up at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where current Nigeria under-23 coach Samson Siasia also coached the ‘Dream Team’ in China.
On Sunday, it was Junior Ajayi who proved to be Siasia’s match winner, scoring both goals just after half-time, in front of 35,000 home fans.
Le Roy’s Congo pulled one back in the 68th minute – but Nigeria held on to seize the first leg advantage in the under-23 level third-round qualifier.
The return match is scheduled for early August and the overall winners qualify for an end-of-year tournament in Senegal from which the top three teams out of eight go to Rio.