Chelle reveals how Eagles fought back against Russia

Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has praised a tactical switch with his strikers for the late comeback that gave Nigeria a 3-3 draw with Russia in a friendly match on Tuesday.

The Super Eagles looked set to lose after going 3-1 down. But Peter Edokpolor scored in the 78th minute, and Akor Adams equalised in stoppage time.

Chelle explained that the change allowed his team to hit Russia on the break.

“We found a solution because tactically we changed something about our strikers. At the end of the second half, they did not find a solution, and that is why we scored two goals in transition,” said the Malian coach.

Nigeria started strong, with Kelechi Iheanacho netting the first goal just 10 minutes into the match at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium. Russia took control after that. Lechi Sadulaev equalised before half-time, and Matvey Kislyak and Aleksey Miranchuk made it 3-1 with 12 minutes remaining.

Chelle acknowledged that Russia had the upper hand during key moments around half-time. “This is a draw. We had a moment at the beginning of the first half. They had big moments at the end of the first half. This is why they scored two goals. At the beginning of the second half it was the same,” he said.

Edokpolor, who came off the bench, closed the gap with a goal in the 78th minute. Adams, who plays for Venezia, then found the net for the equaliser deep into added time, after being set up by Abdullahi Umar.

Chelle was happy with how his team reacted after going two goals down. “The second half of my team was very good. I applauded my players,” he said.

This draw is a positive result after their 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau. Nigeria now sits second in Group L of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with three points.

It also marks the second time Nigeria has drawn with Russia, following the 1-1 draw in Moscow in June 2025.