Nigeria’s Future Eagles were eliminated from the Tier C competition at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival after Benin Republic won a high-scoring Round of 16 tie 6-3 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday.

The defeat came just hours after Nigeria had overwhelmed New Caledonia 7-0 in the Round of 32, a result which appeared to have set up another strong performance from the Future Eagles.

Instead, the U15 Guepards took control of the contest and scored six times to secure their place in the Tier C quarter-finals.

Nigeria captain Timothy Ijach tried to keep his side in the match with two goals, taking his tournament tally to 11, while Wisdom Boniface also found the net. Benin Republic’s attacking performance, however, proved decisive as Nigeria’s defensive weaknesses were exposed.

The result ended a campaign in which Nigeria had generally been one of the stronger sides. They finished Group AD with seven points from one win and four draws, scoring 11 goals and conceding 10.

Their most impressive display came in the earlier victory over New Caledonia. Ijach scored a hat-trick, Muhammad added two goals, and Oche and Salu completed the scoring in the 7-0 success.

That result had followed a group stage in which the Future Eagles conceded in every match. Their inability to prevent opponents from scoring eventually proved costly against Benin Republic, despite their attacking output.

Nigeria leave the tournament having scored 21 goals in seven games.

Benin Republic will play the winner of the remaining Tier C quarter-final bracket on Thursday. Nigeria, meanwhile, will move into the placement matches that will determine their final position before the tournament concludes on Friday, 30 October.

The Future Eagles return to action on Thursday in the 73rd–80th-place play-offs against Rwanda. Victory would put Nigeria into the 73rd–76th-place semi-finals.

The FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival is being played in an 8-a-side format, with matches consisting of two 20-minute halves. Teams are divided into six tiers according to their group-stage performances.