Nigeria’s Super Eagles came back from two goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw with Russia in Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday night, with Akor Adams scoring the equaliser four minutes into stoppage time.
Main image: DGBN graphic. Photo: MHSC TV / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
A familiar face opens the scoring
Kelechi Iheanacho, back in the national team after missing recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, gave Nigeria a 10th-minute lead. He finished from around 21 yards after a pass from Abdullahi Bewene.
Russia took control before the break. Lechi Sadulaev levelled on the half-hour, and Matvey Kislyak put the hosts ahead in first-half stoppage time. Aleksey Miranchuk then made it 3-1 nine minutes after the restart, and a crowd of more than 40,000 expected a comfortable home win.
A late fightback
Eric Chelle’s side did not fold. Osayande Peter Edokpolor pulled one back in the 78th minute, and Adams struck in the 94th minute to rescue a draw that had looked out of reach for most of the second half.
According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, the three goals ended a run of four straight clean sheets for Russia, who had beaten Burkina Faso, Trinidad and Tobago, Iran and Namibia since losing 1-0 to Egypt.
Why it matters for the Super Eagles
The result is a lift after a painful few weeks. On 28 September Nigeria lost 3-0 away to Guinea-Bissau in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, a defeat that raised hard questions about the squad and its direction.
Chelle used the friendly to look at new faces, with nine players making their senior international debuts, Premium Times reported. Coming back from 3-1 down with such an inexperienced group shows character, but conceding three times before the hour also shows how much work remains at the back.
It was the second meeting between the two countries in just over a year. They drew 1-1 at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in June 2025, when Tolu Arokodare scored Nigeria’s equaliser.
For Nigerian fans at home and across the diaspora, still stinging from the team’s absence from this year’s World Cup, the late drama offers some hope as the AFCON qualifying campaign continues. Read more: Nigerians count losses as World Cup begins without Eagles.