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Nigeria’s Super Eagles staged a dramatic comeback to hold Russia to a 3-3 draw in an entertaining international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, recovering from a two-goal deficit in the second half and snatching a point in stoppage time.
Winger Abubakar Umar triggered a flurry of late moves with his eventual assist to Akor Adam producing the equaliser. Project reports
Nigeria looked headed for defeat after Russia took a 3-1 lead but the Super Eagles refused to give up as Peter Osayande Edokpolor reduced the deficit in the 78th minute before Akor Jerome Adams completed the comeback in injury time.
The six-goal thriller produced a remarkable turnaround after Nigeria took the lead through Kelechi Promise Iheanacho in the opening 10 minutes.
Russia responded through Lechi Sadulaev in the 30th minute before Matvey Alekseyevich Kislyak gave the hosts the lead in added time in the first half.
Aleksey Andreyevich Miranchuk appeared to have the Russians firmly in control when he scored in the 54th minute, but the Super Eagles rallied late to deny the hosts victory.
Iheanacho gives Nigeria an early lead
Nigeria started better and were rewarded after just 10 minutes when Iheanacho found the back of the net to give Éric Chelle’s side an early lead.
The goal was an encouraging start for the Super Eagles, especially with Iheanacho returning to the national team after missing Nigeria’s recent 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
The experienced striker had been recalled after an impressive spell with Turkish club Bursaspor and was one of the most established names in a largely experimental Nigerian team.
His first shot gave Nigeria confidence, but Russia gradually began to assert themselves in the competition.
Russia reverses the situation
Russia’s pressure eventually produced an equalizer in the 30th minute through Sadulaev.
The Akhmat Grozny striker, whose full name is Lechi Sadulaev, has become an important attacking option for Russia and was once again influential for Valery Karpin’s team.
The draw changed the complexion of the match, with Russia becoming increasingly dominant in possession and territory.
The hosts then dealt Nigeria another blow just before half-time.
Kislyak scored in the second minute of injury time at the end of the first half to complete Russia’s comeback and give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
For the 21-year-old CSKA Moscow midfielder, whose full name is Matvey Alekseyevich Kislyak, the goal further underlined his growing importance to the Russian national team.
Miranchuk increases Russia’s lead
Russia continued where they left off in the second half and extended their lead nine minutes into the second half.
Aleksey Andreyevich Miranchuk scored in the 54th minute to make it 3-1 and seemingly put the hosts on course for another convincing victory.
Miranchuk, the experienced attacking midfielder who plays for Atlanta United, showcased his technical skills as Russia punished Nigeria’s defensive errors.
Down 3-1, the Super Eagles faced the prospect of another difficult result following a 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their previous competitive outing.
But Chelle’s players responded with more urgency.
Edokpolor triggers a late revival
Nigeria’s comeback began in the 78th minute when teenager Peter Osayande Edokpolor pulled a goal back.
The 19-year-old striker, who plays for Benfica, had been among the least experienced members of Chelle’s squad and came into the match with limited senior international experience.
His goal, however, gave Nigeria renewed confidence and turned what appeared to be a comfortable Russian victory into a tense finale.
Edokpolor joined Benfica from Galadima FC and rose through the ranks of the Portuguese club’s youth and reserves. Benfica confirmed in June that the Nigerian had signed a contract extension following a productive 2025/26 season in which he scored six goals in 35 appearances for the club.
Akor completes an extraordinary comeback
With Russia still leading 3-2 at the start of injury time, Nigeria produced a final offensive push.
Adams found the decisive equalizer in the fourth minute of injury time to make it 3-3 and complete an extraordinary comeback.
The Venezia striker’s late goal prevented Nigeria from losing after being 3-1 behind and gave Chelle a result that could prove invaluable for a team made up of several players trying to establish themselves in the national team.
Adams had been one of the players expected to lead Nigeria’s attack in the absence of several starters, and his late intervention justified Chelle’s decision to rely on the striker.
The 26-year-old, whose full name is Akor Jerome Adams, has been part of Nigeria’s attacking options during Chelle’s tenure and had spoken before the match about the coach’s demand for a win against Russia.
A different Super Eagles team
The draw was particularly significant because Chelle fielded a significantly changed team for the friendly.
The Nigeria coach had used the October international window to look at players outside his preferred first-choice group after several established players became unavailable.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi withdrew due to injury, while Raphael Onyedika was not released by Eintracht Frankfurt. Victory Akpe also withdrew, with Vince Osuji and John Otomewo among the players included in the wider group.
The final team featured several relatively unknown faces, including Samuel James, Isaac James, Abdullahi Bewene, Chibuzo Nwoke, Stephen Michael, Igor Wilfred, Aderemi Adeoye and Edokpolor.
This experimental approach meant that the match was as much about player evaluation as it was about the result itself.
For players like Edokpolor, the match provided a particularly important platform to demonstrate that they could compete at senior international level.
Russia maintains control but surrenders with a win
Despite relinquishing a two-goal lead, Russia controlled significant portions of the match.
The hosts had 62% of possession compared to Nigeria’s 38% and recorded more attempts on target. Russia recorded 15 shots to Nigeria’s nine and six shots on target to the Super Eagles’ five.
However, possession and territorial dominance ultimately mattered little as Nigeria showed remarkable resilience in the closing stages.
The result also denied Russia what would have been another victory after their impressive recent run.
Karpin’s team had entered the Nigeria match having beaten Iran 2-0 and Namibia 6-0, while their winning streak had also included victories over Burkina Faso and Trinidad and Tobago.
Nigeria extends unbeaten record against Russia
The 3-3 draw means Nigeria remains unbeaten against Russia after the two countries’ first two senior international matches.
Their first meeting took place on June 6, 2025, at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, where both teams drew.
Russia took the lead in that match when Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
The Super Eagles responded in the second half, with Tolu Arokodare scoring in the 71st minute to secure a 1–1 draw.
The Nigerian Football Federation described Tuesday’s match as the second meeting between the two countries in 16 months.
With Tuesday’s 3-3 draw, the two teams scored six goals in their second meeting, following a 1-1 draw in Moscow last year.
Nigeria therefore has two draws in their two matches against Russia, although neither team has yet recorded a win in the match.
Positive signs for Chelle
While the friendly wasn’t tied to any competitive points, the result gives Chelle several positives to take from the match.
Above all, Nigeria showed character after seemingly losing control of the match.
Taking a 1-0 lead, falling behind 2-1 before half-time and then conceding again early in the second half could easily have led to another heavy defeat.
Instead, the Super Eagles found a way back into the game.
The performances of the younger and less established players will also provide Chelle with further material to evaluate as she continues to shape her team.
Edokpolor’s goal and Adams’ late equalizer were particularly significant, while Iheanacho’s early goal offered further encouragement following his return to the national team.
For a team still recovering from the disappointment of missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup and making an inconsistent start to their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, the return could provide some much-needed psychological relief.
The 3-3 score may not have delivered the victory Chelle asked for before the match, but it ensured that the Super Eagles left Nizhny Novgorod with their unbeaten record against Russia intact and, more importantly, demonstrated the resilience needed as the team continues its rebuilding process.
