Rwanda hold Nigeria to goalless tie in African Nations Championship

RABAT, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda held Nigeria to a goalless draw in the teams' first game at the Africa Nations Champions (CHAN) in the Moroccan city of Tangier on Monday.

Despite the Nigerians' domination, they could not muster an effort on target due to poor finishing and a strong, organized defence from Rwanda.

Before the match, Nigeria' s coach Salisu Yusuf said his team would fight hard in their bid reach the next round, and see what happens after that. "We will put in our all to do better than in previous editions. We are prepared for that," he stressed.

As for Rwanda' s Antoine Hey, he highlighted his team's potential, insisting that "there is no favorite in a competition of this nature."

In the opener of Group C, Libya hammered debutants Equatorial Guinea 3-0 earlier on Monday.

After the first round, Libya assumes the top spot of Group C with three points, followed by Rwanda and Nigeria with one point each.

In the second round, Libya will clash with Nigeria, while Rwanda will face Equatorial Guinea. Both matches will be played in Tangier on Friday.

The tournament, which is exclusively for African footballers based in their own domestic leagues, features 16 teams with the final set for 4 February. Enditem