Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by Tanzania in the first leg of the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers playoff fixture in Dares Salaam on Saturday.

Success Makanjuola scored from the spot in the 28th minute of the encounter after Akanni Qudus was fouled in the Tanzania 18-yard box to give Nigeria a 1-0 halftime lead.

Relentless Tanzania had their two shots on goal struck the post in the space of four minutes.

There was no goal again in the match until the 77th minute of the game when the Tanzanians were awarded a penalty which they scored to cancel out Nigeria’s lead as the game ended one goal apiece.

Nigeria now have an important one away-goal advantage as both sides head into the second leg of the encounter that will take place at Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on October 29.

The winner of the two-legged encounter will qualify to the group stage of the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations billed for Morocco.

The tournament also serves as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualification path to the 2024 Summer Olympics in France – two finalists and the third-place playoff winner will automatically qualify for the Olympics.