Nigeria held the gold-medal favourites the Netherlands to a 0-0 draw in their Olympic opener on Wednesday.
The so-called 'Dream Team IV' created several quality chances in the Group B tussle, but were unable to convert them into goals.
The Netherlands took the early initiative with the pace of their strikers causing real problems for the 1996 champions.
The Nigerians settled into a rhythm halfway through the first half as Victor Obinna Nsofor launched assault after assault on Dutch goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer's goal.
The striker headed wide in the 31st minute before seeing two more attempts saved by the acrobatic Vermeer.
Isaac Promise almost snatched victory for Nigeria with six minutes to go, but once again, Vermeer again came to his team's rescue with a fine diving save.
"I was glad we didn't lose. It doesn't feel like a win. A win is a win. This was a draw," Nigeria coach Samson Siasia said afterwards.
"But I think it was a good start," he added.
Nigeria will now take on Japan on 10 August while the Netherlands meet USA.
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