Odion Ighalo came off the bench to inspire Nigeria to a 1-0 win over Burundi in their opening 2019 Africa Cup of Nations encounter.
Daniel Akpeyi started in goals for the Super Eagles while Frederic Nsabiyumva was given a start for the Swallows.
The Super Eagles enjoyed most of the possession in the opening stages of the first half, with the likes of John Obi Mikel and Wilfried Ndidi going close with efforts from distance.
Burundi went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock on 37 minutes as Nsabiyumva rattled the frame of the goal with a towering header.
It was more of the same in the second half for Nigeria, which prompted head coach Gernot Rohr to throw on Ahmed Musa for Mikel after 58 minutes.
Akpeyi was called in to action with 20 minutes remaining as the Super Eagles shot-stopper produced a fine save to keep out Fiston Abdul Razak's powerful effort.
Ighalo was introduced seven minutes later and his impact was immediate as he bagged the winning goal with a neat curling finish to give the Nigerians a winning start in Egypt.