2024 Olympics qualifier: Lucky Cameroon escape with draw

• Cameroon and Nigeria played out a goalless draw at the Stade de la Réunification, Douala, in the first leg of the third-round qualifying campaign for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Indomitable Lionesses will have the referee and poor officiating to thank for keeping the scoreline level at the end of regulation time.

Nigeria failed to soar in head coach Randy Waldrum's first game since the American tactician guided the Super Falcons to the knockout stage of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The Super Falcons' finest stars, including Asisat Oshoala, Rasheedat Ajibade, Deborah Abiodun, and Christy Ucheibe, were all involved.

Still, the former African champions struggled to find the cutting edge in the final third, especially with the officiating particularly poor.

Juventus star Jennifer Echegini thought she had won the tie for Nigeria after the break, but her goal was wrongly ruled out for offside.

Nigeria will advance to the fourth round of the qualifiers with a win over the Indomitable Lionesses in the return leg in Abuja on Monday.

The winner of the two-legged faceoff between Cameroon and Nigeria will trade tackles with either South Africa or Tanzania in the fourth and final qualifying round.

South Africa already hold a big advantage in that fixture after claiming a massive 3-0 away win over Tanzania at the Azam Complex Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Other results favoured the away teams as Morocco sealed a 2-1 win on Tunisian soil, as Zambia also stunned Ghana 1-0 in Accra.