Akor Adams scored a late equaliser as a heavily rotated Super Eagles side came from behind to secure a 3-3 draw against Russia in their international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday.
The hosts looked on course for victory after taking a 3-1 lead in the 54th minute. However, a 78th-minute strike from 19-year-old forward Peter Edokpolor and Akor Adams’ stoppage-time equaliser rescued a draw for Nigeria as both sides shared the spoils.
A brilliant Kelechi Iheanacho strike from outside the box put Nigeria ahead just 10 minutes into the game. Russia, however, turned the match around as Lechii Sadulaev equalised in the 30th minute before Matvey Kislyak gave the hosts a 2-1 lead on the cusp of half-time.
Eric Chelle made two changes at the start of the second half, bringing on Akor Adams and Abdullahi Umar for Stephen Michael and Kelechi Iheanacho. Despite the substitutions, Russia extended their advantage nine minutes after the break through Aleksey Miranchuk, making it 3-1.
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Chelle made further changes in the 70th minute, introducing Peter Edokpolor and Umar Abubakar for Aderemi Adeoye and Moses Simon. This time, the substitutions made an immediate impact as Edokpolor found the back of the net just eight minutes after coming on.
The 19-year-old showed his immense potential as he won possession on the halfway line before driving into the box and firing a shot that took a deflection and flew beyond the goalkeeper to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
Just when it appeared Russia would hold on for victory, Akor Adams levelled the scoreline in the closing stages. The Venezia striker finished off a rapid counterattack after receiving a pass from Umar Abubakar, securing a 3-3 draw for the Super Eagles.
The result means Nigeria and Russia could not be separated once again, with their previous meeting in 2025 also ending in a 1-1 draw.
Eric Chelle will, however, take plenty of positives from the performance of his youthful Super Eagles side. Despite resting the majority of the senior players, the young Nigerians produced a spirited display to fight back and earn a valuable result.
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