Saturday 26 March 2016 18:47, UK
The Football Association's hopes of convincing Arsenal youngster Alex Iwobi to represent England were ended on Friday night as he won his first competitive cap for Nigeria.
The 19-year-old appeared to confirm that he had received an approach from the FA but decided to represent the county of his birth and was a substitute in their 1-1 draw with Egypt in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier as some fans clung on to floodlights and the scoreboard to get a view of the game in the packed venue.
An estimated 40,000 supporters turned out at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna, which is listed as a 16,000 capacity arena, as officials decided let spectators in for free.
Iwobi, who scored his first Arsenal goal in the 2-0 win over Everton last week, had represented England at U16, U17 and U18 level but had already featured twice for Nigeria in friendly matches before making his competitive debut, which means he cannot now represent the Three Lions.
He came on as a second half substitute, while Manchester City youngster Kelechi Iheanacho also made an appearance.
After the match Iwobi said on Twitter: "Unlucky not to win but happy to have made my competitive debut for Nigeria.
"Would also like thank you to England for giving me the chance to represent them."
Oghenekaro Etebo scored for the home side on the hour mark before former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah equalised for Egypt in the dying minutes.
