Russia scored five times in the second half as they overwhelmed Namibia 6-0 at the Ekaterinburg Arena, delivering a strong warning to Nigeria’s Super Eagles before Tuesday’s international friendly.
Lechi Sadulaev put Russia ahead in the 37th minute before Danil Prutsev doubled their advantage nine minutes after half-time. Konstantin Tyukavin added a third in the 65th minute, with Maksim Glushenkov scoring in the 84th.
Maksim Petrov converted a penalty three minutes later, before Namibia goalkeeper Kamaijanda Ndisiro completed the scoring with an own goal in the second minute of added time.
Russia registered 24 shots, including 14 on target, while Namibia failed to test the Russian goalkeeper with a shot on target.
The result underlined Russia’s strong recent form. They have been restricted to friendly matches since their FIFA ban in 2022, but have now won their past four games, scoring 14 goals without defeat.
Their last loss came on 28 May 2026, when they were beaten 1-0 by Egypt.
Nigeria will meet Russia at the 44,000-capacity Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, 6 October. The venue hosted matches during the 2018 World Cup.
Nigeria prepare for second meeting
The fixture will be the countries’ second meeting in 16 months. Their previous encounter ended in a 1-1 draw in Moscow in June 2025.
Nigeria defender Semi Ajayi scored an own goal in that match, but Tolu Arokodare later equalised for the Super Eagles.
Nigeria manager Eric Chelle has selected an experimental 24-man squad for the fixture. Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze are all unavailable.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Akpe Victory have also withdrawn from the squad. John Otomewo of Reims and Vince Osuji of Tromso have been called up as replacements.
Moses Simon, Kelechi Iheanacho and Akor Adams are expected to form the main attacking options for a largely youthful Nigeria side, which includes two players from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The Super Eagles go into the match after an inconsistent AFCON 2027 qualifying window. They began it with a 2-1 victory against Madagascar before suffering a 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau.