Kelechi Iheanacho, entering as a substitute, put Nigeria in the lead after they initially fell behind. However, a late free-kick by the Saudis leveled the match. In the 81st minute, the Leicester City forward found the net for the Super Eagles against their Middle Eastern opponents in Portugal, but it wasn’t sufficient for Nigeria.
The Green Falcons had taken the lead in the 60th minute when Salman Al Faraj capitalized on a goalkeeper error by Francis Uzoho, who inadvertently deflected a corner kick into his own net.
However, merely 13 minutes later, in the wake of a rapid counterattack, the Saudi Arabia goalkeeper managed to parry Victor Boniface’s shot, restoring parity for Jose Peseiro’s team.
With a hunger for more, Nigeria continued to press forward relentlessly. Iheanacho, who came on for Samuel Chukwueze in the 64th minute, seized an opportunity with a loose ball at the edge of the box, slotting it into the top-left corner of the net. Advantage Nigeria!
But the Super Eagles conceded a freekick on the edge of the box deep into added time. Mohammed Kanno’s strike deflected off a Nigerian player to give Roberto Mancini’s side a draw.
Nigeria will now play Mozambique in another friendly match on Monday as the team prepare for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Before Friday’s game, Nigeria were drawn in Group A of the 2023 AFCON where they were pitched against hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea. The Super Eagles were knocked out in the round of 16 during the last edition of the tournament held in neighbouring Cameroon.
Thrice winners of the competition, Peseiro’s charges will aim to make it a fourth-time lucky when the tournament starts early next year.
