Depleted Super Eagles Hold Russia in Six-goal Thriller

The Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, were held to a 3-3 draw against Russia in an international friendly match held in Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday evening. With key players like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina and many others absent, Head Coach Eric Chelle had to give his debut to nine rookie players, who showcased their abilities during the match.

Out of the starting eleven, only six players, Moses Simon, Kelechi Iheanacho, Benjamin Fredricks, Emmanuel Fernandez, Abdullahi Bewene, and Aderemi Adeoye, had previously played for the Super Eagles. Iheanacho, who scored the first goal in Turkey in his previous match, opened the scoring for the Super Eagles just ten minutes into the game.

He received a precise pass from Abdullahi Bewene and fired a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner of the net, becoming the 15th Super Eagles player to score an international goal. However, Russia's strong defense allowed them to equalize the game in the second half, leading 2-1 into halftime. The Russians extended their lead to 3-1 just nine minutes into the second half, prompting Head Coach Eric Chelle to introduce fresh legs from the bench.

The substitutions, such as Umar Abdullahi, Benfica's Peter Edokpolor, and Vince Osuji, provided a much-needed boost to Nigeria's attack. With the Super Eagles leading by three goals at added time, Emmanuel Fernandez and Akor Adams scored a dramatic 94th-minute equalizer, ensuring the final score remained a thrilling draw of 3-3.

Chelle expressed his satisfaction with the match, stating that it achieved the objective of scouting new players for the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualifiers and LA 2028 Under-23 team. He mentioned that the match provided valuable insights into the capabilities of some of the players, two objectives that the Super Eagles hoped to achieve during their visit to Russia.