Nigeria and Mali ended the first half of the FIFA Under 17 World cup  final in Chile goalless.

Nigeria’s  Golden Eaglets  had frittered away an opportunity to open scoring in the fourth minute of their encounter with Mali, at Estadio SausalitoVina Del Ma when Mali’s goalkeeper, Samuel saved a penalty taken by Ebere.

The penalty was awarded in the third minute after a Malian defender handled the ball inside the box.

At the end of the first half, nothing really separated the two teams, except that Mali had 51 percent of possession to Nigeria’s 49.

Both teams had seven attempts on goal, with three of Nigeria’s shots blocked by Mali’s goalkeeper.

Nigeria however had drawn a yellow card and had committed 12 fouls against Mali’s 7.