By Kunle Solaja
Nigeria’s coach, Eric Chelle, has not lost in five matches. This sets a possible tone for Nigeria’s next four crucial World Cup qualifying matches.
On Friday, the Super Eagles came from behind to secure a 1–1 draw. It was their first-ever senior international match against Russia. They showed resilience despite the absence of several key players.
Fresh off their Unity Cup triumph in London, the Super Eagles were missing several stars. Key players like Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, and Ola Aina were not present. Their absence gave fringe players a chance to shine.
Tolu Arokodare emerged as the standout performer. He scored a well-taken equaliser in the second half.
Tolu Arokodare put Nigeria on level terms with Russia
Russia played their first home match in months. This was due to ongoing FIFA and UEFA suspensions. They took the lead in the 29th minute. A dangerous cross from Danil Krugovoy deflected off Semi Ajayi into his own net.
Ironically, Ajayi had helped force an own goal for Nigeria just a week earlier against Ghana.
Despite limited clear-cut chances, Nigeria nearly equalised before halftime, but Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was denied by a brilliant save from PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.
Russia should have gone 2–0 up after the break when Viktor Melekhin missed a gilt-edged opportunity. That miss proved costly as substitute Arokodare capitalised on a rare error from Safonov to draw Nigeria level.
The hosts pressed for a winner. Maduka Okoye produced two superb stops to preserve the draw. One stop was a fingertip save from Aleksey Batrakov. Dmitri Barinov also squandered a late chance, firing over from close range.
The result ends Russia’s eight-game winning streak since October 2023. Nigeria will take heart from a strong performance. They look ahead to their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa.
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