Nigeria recovered from a difficult start to draw 3-3 with Russia in Tuesday’s friendly at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, with several players making their debuts for the Super Eagles.
Kelechi Iheanacho opened the scoring, while Peter Edokpolor and Akor Adams completed Nigeria’s comeback. Here is how the players performed:
Starting XI
Samuel James – 5/10 The goalkeeper made a positive Super Eagles debut despite conceding three goals.
Abdullahi Bewene – 6/10 A strong display from the right-back, who showed he is ready to challenge for a regular starting place.
Benjamin Fredrick – 6/10 The Brentford defender impressed on his return to the team.
Emmanuel Fernandez – 4/10 He surrendered possession cheaply in the build-up to Russia’s opening goal and looked untidy at times during the match.
Isaac James – 4/10 It was a challenging debut for the left-back, who will need to improve his performance and provide greater consistency if he is to establish himself in the side.
Aderemi Adeoye – 5/10 The Ikorodu City midfielder began the game well but faded as the contest went on. Peter Edokpolor replaced him with 20 minutes remaining.
Michael Stephen – 4/10 He struggled to make a significant impression on his debut and was withdrawn at half-time, with Akor Adams taking his place at the start of the second half.
George Wilfred – 5/10 The midfielder drifted in and out of the match and found it difficult to impose himself. An average performance overall.
Chibuzo Nwoko – 5/10 The Fulham player produced a committed display and worked hard before being replaced by Vince Osuji seven minutes from the end.
Moses Simon – 4/10 The captain was unable to make the expected impact and struggled to influence the match. He was substituted for Abubakar Umar with 20 minutes left.
Kelechi Iheanacho – 5/10 The Bursaspor striker scored Nigeria’s first goal, but that was his only major contribution before he was replaced at the interval.
Substitutes
Abdullahi Umar – 4/10 He came on for Kelechi Iheanacho at half-time and played an important part in the build-up to Nigeria’s third goal.
Akor Adams – 4/10 The Venezia striker scored Nigeria’s equaliser deep into stoppage time, keeping his composure to finish calmly.
Peter Edokpolor – 4/10 The Benfica player replaced Aderemi Adeoye and scored Nigeria’s second goal with an excellent finish.
Abubakar Umar – 4/10 He went close to scoring before setting up Akor Adams for Nigeria’s third goal deep into stoppage time.
Vince Osuji – Not rated