BELO HORIZONTE, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Nnamdi Oduamadi scored a hat-trick as Nigeria defeated a spirited but outclassed Tahiti 6-1 in their Confederations Cup Group B clash here on Monday.
Uwa Echiejile opened the scoring at the Mineirao stadium with a deflected long-range drive before Oduamadi danced around two defenders and coolly chipped over goalkeeper Xavier Samin.
The AC Milan winger then doubled his tally by tapping in after Samin inexplicably spilled an innocuous Ahmed Musa cross.
The error seemed to spark Tahiti into action as the Pacific island minnows threatened Nigeria's defence with a series of well-crafted attacking forays.
And they were rewarded for their efforts nine minutes after halftime when Jonathan Tehau headed in Henri Caroine's corner-kick at the far post, sparking wild celebrations from Tahiti's players and officials.
But Tehau turned villain 13 minutes later, steering an Oduamadi shot into his own net.
Oduamadi then scored his third with a smart finish after Brown Ideye's cross before Echiejile completed the rout by bundling in after Musa's shot was palmed away by Samin.