Super Eagles fight back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 in Russia
A young, much-changed Nigeria side found late goals from debutant Peter Edokpolor and Akor Adams.
By SitesNG Sports Desk · · 2 min read
Eric Chelle wanted to see character, and his new-look Super Eagles showed plenty. In a friendly in Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday 6 October 2026, Nigeria trailed Russia 3-1 but scored twice late on to draw 3-3 in front of more than 40,000 fans.
Kelechi Iheanacho gave Nigeria an early lead, his first international goal in three years. Russia then took control through Sadulayev, Kislyak and Miranchuk. Nineteen-year-old Peter Edokpolor pulled one back on his debut in the 78th minute, and Akor Adams equalised four minutes into stoppage time.
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Nine players won their first caps. The squad had been cut from 24 to 18 because of injuries and clubs refusing to release players, with captain Wilfred Ndidi, Raphael Onyedika and Bright Osayi-Samuel among those missing.
“I do not even know how I feel.”
Debutant Abdullahi Umar, who came on at half-time (via Soccernet)
The numbers
The draw follows September's AFCON 2027 qualifiers, a 2-1 win over Madagascar and a 3-0 defeat in Guinea-Bissau. Blueprint reports that Nigeria fell four places to 30th in the October FIFA ranking. Follow the team on our Super Eagles page.
Reporting by the SitesNG Sports Desk, based on reports from TASS, Blueprint, News Agency of Nigeria, Soccernet, Legit.ng. Published 6 October 2026 in the African Sports News weekly edition of 15 October 2026.
