The Super Eagles fought back from two goals down to secure a 3-3 draw against Russia in an entertaining international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday.
Nigeria looked set for another disappointing result after Russia established a 3-1 lead early in the second half, but the Super Eagles produced a spirited late comeback to rescue a draw.
Kelechi Iheanacho put Nigeria ahead after 10 minutes, giving the Super Eagles an early advantage.
Russia responded through Lechi Sadulaev in the 30th minute before Matvey Kislyak completed the hosts’ turnaround with a goal in first-half stoppage time.
The hosts extended their advantage nine minutes into the second half when Aleksei Miranchuk found the net to make it 3-1.
Nigeria, however, refused to surrender and continued to push forward in search of a way back into the contest.
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Their persistence paid off in the 78th minute when Peter Edokpolor reduced the deficit to 3-2, setting up a tense finish.
The Super Eagles then completed their remarkable comeback deep into stoppage time when Akor Adams scored in the 94th minute to level the scores at 3-3.
The draw gives Nigeria a measure of redemption after their recent 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau and ends the international window with the Super Eagles showing character to recover from a difficult position.
Russia, who had entered the game on the back of a 6-0 victory over Namibia, will be disappointed to have surrendered their two-goal advantage.
For Nigeria coach Eric Chelle, the match provided another opportunity to assess his squad, while the late fightback offered encouragement ahead of the team’s next competitive assignments.
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