The Super Eagles of Nigeria have secured a 1-1 draw against Russia in an international friendly match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Experienced defender Semi Ajayi’s inadvertent own goal gave the home team the lead in the first half, which was full of back-and-forth between both sides until halftime.
Nigeria came alive in the second half, and their pressure was rewarded when Tolu Arokodare opened his Super Eagles account with a brilliant strike to draw the Eagles level. Both teams had chances afterwards, but nothing could separate the two sides, and the Nigerian national team ended the May/June international break without a defeat.
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Tolu Arokodare and Maduka Okoye were standout performers, with the goalkeeper producing a stunning save in the 83rd minute to keep the scoreline the same and avoid a late Russian win. The midfield trio of Raphael Onyedika, Frank Onyeka and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru were praised for holding it together against the aggressive Russians. The fullback duo of Bright Osayi-Samuel and Bruno Onyemaechi were suspect throughout the game, with Fenerbahce star beaten on pace for the cross that led to the own goal.
Victor Boniface, yet again, was under fire for his performance during his 61 minutes on the pitch. His replacement, Arokodare, scored within 10 minutes of coming on. The Bayer Leverkusen forward made a post on his Instagram page in a post which has been brought down, claiming he has hung up his boots from national team duties after 13 matches, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for him.
Chelle reacts to Super Eagles’ draw
Head coach Eric Chelle was satisfied with the character of his team to stick to their guns and fight their way back to secure a draw. He singled out Okoye and Arokodare for their performance. “We showed character to come back. Tolu [Arokodare] and Maduka [Okoye] were fantastic, and this result gives us confidence for the qualifiers,” he said after the match, as quoted by Brila FM.
Russian coach Valery Karpin admitted that Nigeria displayed quality despite missing their top stars in Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman and added that his team will learn from the match. “Nigeria brought quality despite their absentees. It was a good test for us, and we’ll learn from the missed chances,” he said.
