Poland coach praises Nigeria after tough match

Poland head coach Jan Urban praised his team for their strength after they came back twice to draw 2-2 with Nigeria in Warsaw. He also said the Super Eagles were sharp in taking their chances, which frustrated him during the match, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nigeria took the lead in the 25th minute thanks to Terem Moffi. Paul Onuachu then scored a penalty in the 77th minute to put the Eagles ahead again after Kacper Potulski had equalized before half-time. Przemyslaw Wiśniewski’s powerful goal in the 95th minute saved Poland from defeat, but Urban was clear about Nigeria's strengths.

“The scenario from the previous matches repeated itself, we played, the opponent scored. But I wasn’t concerned because we played well. And we played well after the goal. It was a good match against a good team,” Urban said.

But he was frustrated by Nigeria’s ability to take their chances.

“The worst thing is that the opponent doesn’t create countless chances and takes only two or three. They are very cruel to us,” he said. He also put the result in the context of a friendly match.

“But these are friendly matches; they won’t judge us for them.”

Urban noted that Nigeria’s seven substitutions at half-time changed the game’s flow and forced Poland to adjust their tactics.

He explained that his team planned to switch to a four-man defense at half-time but waited before making the change as they tried to catch up.

“We were partly playing for the result. But I also saw that we were playing well. We were creating chances, and we were close to scoring. Bartek Slisz’s positioning and disposition helped us secure the backline. He played an excellent game. Later, we wanted to chase the result, so we changed to a four-man defense,” he explained.

The Poland coach also wanted to give some context about the match, saying his players had just finished a long domestic season and should not be criticized too harshly.

“Today was a really good match. I didn’t feel helpless, looking at the players who had the entire season in their stride during this training camp. I would have behaved the same way after the entire season. I know this from experience,” Urban said.

As the Nations League approaches, Urban stated that the time for trying out new things is coming to an end.

“No one will have time for experiments. We will take the Nations League seriously; I can’t imagine it any other way,” he said.

Nigeria will next face Portugal in Leiria on June 10 for their final friendly of this window.