Nigeria Olympic team wins Malaysia Invitational Trophy

Nigeria under-23 Olympic men's beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/sports/football/index.shtml' target=_blank>football team on Sunday defeated Australia 2-0 to win the inaugural eight-nation Intercontinental Cup held in Malaysia as an indication of what to expect at this year's Olympics in Beijing.

Nigeria, 1996 Olympic gold winner in men's football, scored wins over Ireland and Iraq, and a draw with Malaysia to sail through to the semi finals from Group A. It then defeated Chile 2-1 on Friday to make the final on Sunday.

The tournament was part of Nigeria's build-up for the Olympic Games which takes place in August.

The victorious contingent will arrive in Nigeria aboard an Emirates Airline flight from Dubai on Monday by 2 pm.

The team is also expected to embark on a training camp tour in Portugal to continue preparations for the Beijing Games in August.

The country has been drawn to play the Netherlands, the United States and Japan in Group B during the Olympics in August.

Sani Lulu, the Chairman of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) said the FA was happy with this victory, adding that it has given Nigerian some confidence ahead of the Olympics.

"We will now look ahead to the training camp in Portugal next month and the Olympics proper," he said.

"We have faith in this team that we will conquer the world," he was quoted by local media on Monday.

The team qualifies for the Olympics two months ago after edging out arch-rivals Ghana. (Xinhua)