Russia 3-3 Nigeria: Edokpolor scores on debut as Akor Adams rescues a late draw

What happened

Nigeria drew 3-3 with Russia in an international friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday 6 October. The Super Eagles led early, trailed 3-1 after 54 minutes, and then scored twice late on, the equaliser coming four minutes into stoppage time. TASS reported a crowd of 40,126.

How the goals came

Kelechi Iheanacho put Nigeria ahead after 10 minutes, finishing from around 21 yards after a combination with Abdullahi Bewene. Russia equalised through Lechi Sadulaev on the half-hour and went ahead just before half-time when Matvey Kislyak scored in stoppage time.

Eric Chelle made two changes at the break, bringing on Akor Adams and Abubakar Umar. Aleksey Miranchuk then made it 3-1 nine minutes into the second half, and for a while it looked like Nigeria would end the window with a second heavy defeat in a week.

Instead, Peter Edokpolor pulled one back on 78 minutes, on his senior international debut. Then, deep in stoppage time, Adams scored the equaliser.

An experimental squad

This was not Nigeria's first-choice team, and it was never meant to be. Victor Osimhen was injured, and Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze were not in the squad. Reports before the game said Chelle had found European clubs unwilling to release some players for the trip. Wilfred Ndidi and Bright Osayi-Samuel both withdrew before the game.

That left room for new names. Edokpolor was one of several first-time call-ups, and his goal will be the thing he and his family remember about this trip.

Pre-match reports named Samuel James, Ridwan Abdulrasaq and Peter Edokpolor among the first-time senior call-ups, alongside a group of domestic-league players. Moses Simon and Stanley Nwabali were among the experienced heads asked to lead them. For a coach under pressure after Bissau, a friendly like this is a chance to widen the pool without risking qualifying points.

What the comeback told us

Two things can be true. The comeback showed spirit, and it showed that the second-half substitutes, Adams in particular, changed the game. It also showed the same defensive frailty as Bissau: Russia scored three times in 24 minutes either side of half-time. In front of 40,126 people, an experimental side could easily have folded. It did not, and that is worth something.

Why it matters

• The comeback ended a difficult window on a better note after the 3-0 loss in Guinea-Bissau.
• Akor Adams has now started in Bissau and scored against Russia, which strengthens his case to lead the line while Osimhen is out.
• Conceding three times again, even in a friendly, keeps the focus on how Nigeria defend as a team.

What happens next

The next window is the one that matters: AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Tanzania in November (here is the latest on the dates and venue). We break down the stakes in our AFCON 2027 qualifying explainer, and you can vote on who should start up front.