{
  "id": 12501281,
  "title": "Depleted Super Eagles Hold Russia in Six-goal Thriller",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/depleted-super-eagles-hold-russia-in-six-goal-thriller",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-07T00:18:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/10/07/depleted-super-eagles-hold-russia-in-six-goal-thriller/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "*Chelle says purpose for the friendly achieved with new revelations Duro Ikhazuagbe A Super Eagles squad that paraded nine new players forced hosts Russia to a thrilling 3-3 draw in",
  "key_points": [
    "Super Eagles draw 3-3 with Russia in Nizhny Novgorod",
    "Nine debutants featured in the match, including Iheanacho",
    "Fernandez and Adams scored in stoppage time to secure draw"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The draw against Russia shows that Nigeria's new players can make an immediate impact, giving Head Coach Eric Chelle optimism for the team's future, particularly in upcoming qualifiers.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}