Akor Adams’s late goal saves Super Eagles as Nigeria levels with Russia

Eric Chelle's Nigeria side staged a remarkable comeback to secure a 3-3 draw with Russia in an intense international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday. The result provided the Super Eagles with a valuable opportunity to conclude their mixed international break on a high note. The match followed criticism of Chelle's side after their surprising 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Chelle opted to field a heavily rotated lineup, debuting nine players, with only six having previously played for Nigeria. Moses Simon, Kelechi Iheanacho, Benjamin Fredricks, Emmanuel Fernandez, Abdullahi Bewene and Aderemi Adeoye were among the starters. Iheanacho opened the scoring in the 11th minute, assisted by Umar Abdullahi.

Russia equalized through Lechi Sadulaev on the half-hour mark, followed by Matvey Kislyak putting Russia ahead at the end of the first half. Russia extended their lead to 3-1 in the 58th minute. Nigeria responded almost immediately, with debutant Peter Edokpolor scoring the equalizer in the 78th minute. Chelle made several substitutions to try to find a winner, and the changes paid off in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Akor Adams scored a dramatic 94th-minute leveller, reducing the deficit to 3-3. Despite failing to secure a win, Nigeria's resilient performance demonstrated their fighting spirit for the future.