The Super Eagles of Nigeria battled to a 1-1 draw against Russia in an international friendly held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow Friday night.
Russia took the lead in the first half through an own goal after Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi mistakenly turned the ball into his own net. The Super Eagles responded well and their efforts paid off when Tolu Arokodare equalized with a fine finish off the error of the Russian goalkeeper. It was his first goal for the national team.
Both sides had chances to win it late on, but neither could find a breakthrough.
On a general note, the Super Eagles started the brighter of the two teams as they both tried to size each other early in the contest.
The Nigerians high pressing was big worry for the Russians, but they weathered the storm and fought back. Their effort was rewarded in the 27th minute, when they cut through the right side of the defence with defender Semi Ajayi eventually putting the ball into his own net.
The Super Eagles then ought to have drawn level four minutes to halftime, when Fisayo Dele-Bashiru came face-to-face with the Russian goalkeeper, who did well to pull off the biggest save of the match thus far.
The result means Nigeria concluded their May/June international break unbeaten.
Key Moments:
Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, made several crucial saves, notably denying Aleksey Batrakov’s effort in the 87th minute.
Russia dominated possession with 57.4%, but both teams had equal shots on target (4 each).
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