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In an international friendly historic held on Friday, June 6, 2025, Super Eagles in Nigeria secured a 1-1 draw against Russia at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow. This match marked the first higher level meeting between the two nations.
Russia opened the scoring in the 27th minute when defender Semi Ajayi diverted the cross of Viktor Melykhin to his own network, sending the ball to goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. Despite the reverse, Nigeria remained patient and composed, controlling possession and investigating the Russian defense for weaknesses.
Read also: Arokodare receives coach Eric Chelle: “Inspins confidence in the players”
Several regular customers of Super Eagles, including Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi, Adelala Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Ola Aina and Calvin Bassey, were absent from the team, giving marginal players the opportunity to put out their statement.
Instead, the pairing in the midampo of Raphael Onyedika and Frank Onyaka, along with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, kept Nigeria competitive in the center of the park. Defenders William Troost-Ekong, Bruno Onyemaechi and Semi Ajayi worked to maintain a tight bottom line against Russian pressure.
In the 71st minute, the substitute Tolu Arokodare took its opportunity to have an impact. While the Russian goalkeeper Matvei Saphov influences a rear pass, Arokodare showed a fast thought, shitting through the loose ball and placed it in the farthest corner for his first international goal. This leveling prevented Russia from extending its impulse, winning Nigeria a deserved raffle.
Russia had entered this game riding an eight -games winning streak under coach Valery Karpin in friendlies not sanctioned by FIFA after the 2022 prohibition of FIFA in its national teams relaxed only for youth sides. However, this result stopped his last career and demonstrated Nigeria ‘recovery ability despite presenting a side under force.
For Nigeria, the draw extends the undefeated start of chief coach Eric Chelle in five games: three victories and two draws. Chelle expressed his satisfaction with the composure and tactical discipline of his team, noting that the game provided a valuable experience before two crucial classification games of the FIFA 2026 World Cup against Rwanda and South
Africa in three months.
None of the teams could find a winner after Arokodare’s leveling, despite the late pressure of both sides. Matvei Saphov from Russia made several key salvations, while Maduka Okoye denied multiple efforts of Maksim Glushenkov and Aleksandr Mostovoi. At the Nigerian end, the Arokodare movement and Boniface’s aerial presence caused problems for the hosts, even if their final delivery was sometimes misguided.
With this result, Nigeria ends its brief European tour invented and changes the approach to the competitive accessories that are coming, trusting that the depth of the squad and tactical flexibility will serve them well in the coming months.
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