Akor Adams struck four minutes into stoppage time on Tuesday night as a Super Eagles side packed with debutants came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Russia in Nizhny Novgorod. Kelechi Iheanacho and Benfica teenager Peter Edokpolor scored the other goals.
| Result | Russia 3-3 Nigeria (half-time 2-1) |
| Date and venue | Tuesday 6 October 2026, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium |
| Nigeria scorers | Iheanacho 10′, Edokpolor 78′, Adams 90+4′ |
| Russia scorers | Sadulaev 30′, Kislyak 45+1′, Miranchuk 54′ |
| Debutants | Nine Nigerian players won a first senior cap |
| Next game | Nigeria v Tanzania, AFCON 2027 qualifier, November |
From the brink to a point
It started brightly. Abdullahi Bewene found Iheanacho on ten minutes. The striker, back in green and white for the first time since the 2025 Unity Cup, beat the goalkeeper from outside the box.
Then Russia took over. The hosts had beaten Iran 2-0 and Namibia 6-0 in recent weeks, and it showed. Lechi Sadulaev levelled on the half hour. Matvey Kislyak put them in front in first-half stoppage time. When Aleksei Miranchuk made it 3-1 nine minutes after the restart, a heavy defeat looked far more likely than any kind of comeback from such an inexperienced group.
Eric Chelle changed his front line. The game turned. Fast.
Edokpolor won the ball in midfield on 78 minutes. He drove forward and his shot took a deflection on its way in. It was a debut goal for a 19-year-old who left Galadima FC for Portugal and is registered with Benfica's under-23 squad. Fellow debutant Umar Abubakar went close in the 91st minute. Three minutes later he set up the equaliser, Adams finishing a counter-attack that began with a header from Emmanuel Fernandez deep in Nigeria's half.
A depleted squad, a happy coach
Chelle travelled without a long list of regulars. Club restrictions, injuries and travel document problems all played a part, and only six of his starters had been capped before kick-off: captain Moses Simon, Iheanacho, Benjamin Fredricks, Fernandez, Bewene and Aderemi Adeoye.
Chelle was delighted. He said so.
“We found a solution because tactically we changed something about our strikers and they couldn't find a solution and this is why we scored two goals in transition,” the coach told reporters. “So, the state of mind of my team was very good, I'm proud of my players,” he added.
He also hinted that some of the newcomers could earn another call-up next month.
What it means for the Eagles
The draw is a lift. A big one. Last week's 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau left Nigeria on three points in Group L of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, three behind the unbeaten Djurtus. Tuesday's result also keeps Nigeria unbeaten in two meetings with Russia, after the 1-1 draw in Moscow in June 2025.
The worry is at the back. Six goals conceded across two games in this window is not the record of a side that wins qualifying groups.
Adams keeps delivering, and his club numbers are in our Akor Adams goals tracker. Edokpolor is the new name. Remember it.
Tanzania come next. They co-host AFCON 2027 with Kenya and Uganda, so the November meeting matters far more to Nigeria than to them. Another slip would leave the three-time champions chasing the group.
This article was most recently revised and updated 21 hours ago
