Heavyweights Nigeria and Cameroon fought to a 0-0 draw in their 2024 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament third-round, first-leg encounter in Douala on Friday, February 23, 2024.
The nine-time champions of Africa took the pitch with their usual dash and gloss and forced consecutive throw-ins. Yet, the game would become a ding-dong as time wore on, and in the 27th minute, midfielder Toni Payne wasted a good opportunity to put Nigeria ahead.
Twelve minutes later, the Indomitable Lionesses caught sight of goal, but goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, one of the world’s safest pair of hands at the moment, had things covered.
In the second half, the Lionesses stepped up their game as they were urged on by the home crowd at the Stade de la Reunification Douala. Yet, it was Nigeria that had the ball in the net five minutes into the second half, only for Ugandan referee Shamirah Nabbada to rule Jennifer Echegini off-side.