Nine New Eagles Shine as Nigeria Fight Back to Draw Russia 3-3

By Nancy Simire

Super Eagles Head Coach, Eric Chelle, has expressed satisfaction with the performance of nine players who made their senior international debuts as Nigeria fought back from two goals down to secure a 3-3 draw against Russia in an international friendly played at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday.

The encounter provided an opportunity for the Franco-Malian tactician to assess emerging talents following the absence of several established players, including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi.

The nine debutants were Samuel James, Isaac James, Stephen Michael, Wilfred Igor, Chibuzo Nwoko, Vince Osuji, Peter Edokpolor, Abdullahi Umar and Umar Abubakar.

Despite taking an early lead through Kelechi Iheanacho, Nigeria found themselves trailing 3-1 after goals from Lechi Sadulaev, Matvey Kislyak and Aleksey Miranchuk. However, 19-year-old debutant Peter Edokpolor announced his arrival on the international stage with a 78th-minute strike before fellow newcomer Abdullahi Umar provided the assist for Akor Adams to restore parity in stoppage time.

Speaking after the encounter, Chelle explained that the friendly offered an opportunity to evaluate players for future national team engagements.

“The vision is to look at the players for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers and the Olympic Games,” he said. The coach also expressed satisfaction with the newcomers, noting that the encounter had helped him identify players capable of competing at senior international level.

Former Russian club coach Sergei Tashuyev also acknowledged the determination of Nigeria’s youngsters, saying: “We lacked concentration at the end. We seemed to be leading by two goals, but we could not contain the onslaught of the young Nigerians. They are not often called up to the Nigerian national team, so they had something to prove.”

The performance comes as Chelle continues to explore additional options for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with the nine debutants providing further competition for places in the national team.