A heavily depleted Super Eagles side produced a spirited comeback to earn a 3 3 draw against Russia in an entertaining international friendly played in Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday evening.
With several established players unavailable, head coach Eric Chelle was forced to rely heavily on new faces, handing international debuts to nine players. Despite their lack of experience at this level, the newcomers showed enough quality and character to help Nigeria recover from a two goal deficit.
Only six players in Nigeria’s starting lineup had previously represented the three time African champions. They were Moses Simon, Kelechi Iheanacho, Benjamin Fredricks, Emmanuel Fernandez, Abdullahi Bewene and Aderemi Adeoye.
The Super Eagles made a bright start and took the lead after just 10 minutes through Iheanacho. The experienced forward, who recently returned to the national team setup, showed his quality with a powerful left footed effort from outside the penalty area.
Iheanacho received a well measured pass from Bewene near the edge of the box before sending a fierce shot into the top corner to give Nigeria the early advantage. The goal was his 15th for the Super Eagles.
Russia gradually found its way back into the game, however, as Nigeria’s inexperienced defence struggled to cope with the pressure from the hosts. The Russians eventually found an equaliser after breaking through the Nigerian backline and beating debutant goalkeeper Samuel James.
The hosts then took control of the contest and went into halftime with a 2 1 advantage after capitalising on another defensive lapse from the visitors.
Russia continued where it stopped after the restart and extended its lead to 3 1 nine minutes into the second half. With Nigeria needing a response, Chelle turned to his substitutes in an effort to inject more energy and urgency into the attack.
The changes immediately began to have an impact.
Umar Abdullahi almost reduced the deficit in the 73rd minute after winning possession high up the pitch following good work by Isaac James. Five minutes later, 19 year old Benfica prospect Peter Edokpolor announced himself on the international stage in impressive fashion.
Making his Super Eagles debut from the bench, Edokpolor drove forward with confidence before unleashing a powerful effort that flew beyond the Russian goalkeeper in the 78th minute. His goal reduced the deficit to 3 2 and gave Nigeria renewed belief.
Chelle made another tactical change in the 83rd minute, bringing on Vince Osuji for Chibuzo Nwoko as the Super Eagles continued to push for an equaliser.
Nigeria refused to give up and their persistence finally paid off deep into stoppage time.
Emmanuel Fernandez started the move from the back with a well judged header that found Abdullahi. The substitute then showed good awareness to square the ball into the path of Akor Adams, who calmly finished in the 94th minute to complete Nigeria’s remarkable comeback.
The result capped a memorable night for the nine players who made their Super Eagles debuts in Russia, while also giving Chelle an opportunity to assess a number of players who could feature in Nigeria’s plans for future international assignments.
Speaking after the match, Chelle said the trip had achieved its main purpose despite the difficulties encountered before the friendly.
The coach explained that the technical team had two major objectives for the trip, namely to assess players ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign and identify potential options for the Nigeria team preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Chelle also acknowledged that several European clubs were unwilling to release some of their Nigerian players for the friendly, forcing the national team to travel with a largely unfamiliar squad.
Despite those challenges, the coach said he was pleased with what he saw from the new players, particularly against a Russian side he considers a strong footballing nation.
For Nigeria, the 3 3 draw provided more than an entertaining scoreline. It gave Chelle valuable information about players outside the established Super Eagles group and offered several newcomers an opportunity to stake their claim for future selection.
