Nigeria rallies from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Russia

Nigeria came from two goals down in the second half to draw 3-3 with Russia in an international friendly in Nizhny Novgorod on October 6, with Akor Adams scoring the equaliser in the fourth minute of added time. The Super Eagles had trailed 3-1 before mounting a late recovery. Kelechi Iheanacho put Nigeria ahead in the 10th minute. Russia levelled through Lechi Sadulaev in the 30th minute, and Matvey Kislyak scored in first-half stoppage time to give the hosts a 2-1 lead at the break. Aleksei Miranchuk extended Russia’s advantage in the 54th minute. Nigeria began its comeback when substitute Peter Edokpolor scored in the 78th minute. Adams then completed the recovery deep in stoppage time, converting an assist from Abubakar Umar. The draw left both teams without a win in their two reported senior international meetings: they also drew 1-1 in Moscow in June 2025. The friendly gave Nigeria an opportunity to assess players beyond its usual first-choice group. One match account reported that captain Wilfred Ndidi had withdrawn with an injury and that Raphael Onyedika was unavailable because Eintracht Frankfurt did not release him.