Rasheedat Ajibade’s second half goal cancelled out Ethiopia’s early lead against Nigeria as the sides settled for a share of the spoils in their second round, first leg clash in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament.

Ethiopia hosted Nigeria at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon, which eventually gave way to a heavy downpour.

The conditions suited the home team perfectly, and Ethiopia took a 6th lead through Birkie Amare after a goal-mouth scramble.

Nigeria’s response to the goal yielded little with the attack line led by Asisat Oshoala and Uchenna Kanu failing to find a way around the Lucys’ defence.

As the half wore on the game became balance, albeit Nigeria had been in the back foot for the first 15minutes of the encounter.

The first half whistle came as a relief for both sides and the Super Falcons who were without head coach Randy Waldrum and several first team players, had their backs against the wall.

After the restart, the Nigerian girls upped the ante and six minutes in they grabbed the leveler through Rasheedat Ajibade.

Not many clear cut chances were created between the teams afterwards as both attacks went blunt.

However, there was a contentious moment in the added period when the Ethiopian defenders and goalkeeper failed to clear their line, Ifeoma Onumonu headed home what she thought was the winning goal, but the assistant referee had her flag up, a very controversial call.

Meanwhile, on the upside for Nigeria, stand-in Coach Justice Madugu handed Rinsola Babajide her debut for Nigeria, late in the second half, replacing Uchenna Kanu.

After the final whistle, the Ethiopian players celebrated wildly for a job well done at home and will now hope to cause an upset when they play in the return leg at National Stadium, Abuja, on October 31.