Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations suffered a major setback following a 2-0 away defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first leg of their second-round qualifying tie in Lubumbashi.

Coached by Ikorodu City head coach Bright Osehai Ozebagbe and former Nigeria U-20 assistant coach Deniran Ortega, stepping in while senior national team manager Eric Chelle oversees the Super Eagles' AFCON qualifying campaign against Tanzania, the Olympic Eagles failed to capitalize on bright early openings before conceding twice in the first half.

Nigeria threatened early when midfielder Victor Samuel fired narrowly wide in the fourth minute and missed a clear one-on-one opportunity against the Congolese goalkeeper five minutes later.

Those missed chances proved costly as the hosts took the lead in the opening twenty minutes amid controversy, when a goal stood despite apparent contact on Nigerian goalkeeper Samuel James while attempting to claim an aerial delivery.

The visitors' afternoon worsened in the 30th minute after Brighton forward Zadok Yohanna was forced off with an injury.

Five minutes before halftime, Filozofe Mabete doubled DR Congo’s advantage with a well-struck free-kick. Although Nigeria pushed to reduce the deficit after the interval, the Congolese defense held firm to preserve their two-goal cushion.

Nigeria now faces an uphill battle to overturn the aggregate deficit in the return fixture at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday.

The winner of the tie advances to the final qualifying round for the 2027 U-23 AFCON in Egypt, which serves as Africa’s qualification pathway for the men's football tournament at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.