Super Eagles fight back to draw 3-3 with Russia

The Super Eagles came from two goals down to draw 3-3 with Russia in a friendly match at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday.

Kelechi Iheanacho scored first for Nigeria in the 10th minute. Lechi Sadulaev then equalised for Russia in the 30th minute.

Matvey Kislyak put Russia ahead just before halftime, making it 2-1 as they went into the break.

In the 54th minute, Alexey Miranchuk increased Russia's lead to 3-1, putting Nigeria in a tough spot.

But the Super Eagles did not give up. Peter Edokpolor scored in the 78th minute to bring Nigeria closer.

Akor Adams completed the comeback with a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time, making it 3-3 and stopping Russia from winning.

With this result, Nigeria has not lost to Russia in their last two meetings. They had drawn 1-1 in Moscow in June 2025. The Nigeria Football Federation said this friendly was their second meeting in 16 months.

Nigeria came into the match wanting to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Super Eagles missed some key players, including captain Wilfred Ndidi. Some players could not join the team due to injuries and club issues. The NFF said this situation had "seriously weakened" the squad before the friendly.

Russia entered the match in good form after beating Namibia 6-0 in their last friendly.

Nigeria's late comeback gave them something positive from a challenging international window.