Canada took an early lead but couldn't hold on in a 3-1 loss to Nigeria on Wednesday at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Papua New Guinea.

Canada opened strong with a goal from Olympian Gabrielle Carle in the 15th minute.

But Nigeria converted a penalty kick off a late hand ball call just before halftime and found the net again one minute into the second half. Nigeria scored a third time on an interception in the 73rd minute, ending Canada's hopes of a comeback.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we came in with a young group of players that we wanted to expose to that environment," said Canada coach Daniel Worthington. "When you play a team like Nigeria, a physical, fast team that are man-marking, you know it's going to be a difficult match, but this is the kind of experience that will really help these players in their development."

Canada (0-2) will take on Asian champion Japan on Sunday.