The Super Eagles paid the price for a string of squandered opportunities on Friday in Portimao, Portugal, when they were held to a 2-2 draw by the Green Falcons of Saudi Arabia.
At the conclusion of their second-ever friendly encounter at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao, the Super Eagles and the Green Falcons were inseparable.
The game finished in a stalemate after the three-time Asian champions scored a 94th-minute equaliser on a free kick that rebounded off Calvin Bassey at the edge of the area.
First-half opportunities for Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, and Samuel Chukwueze to give the Super Eagles the lead were missed.
They were left to regret their chances when the Saudis, who had dropped their previous six games across all competitions, unexpectedly took the lead after an hour.
Salman Al Faraj gave up a free kick well out on the right flank, and custodian Francis Uzoho accidentally palmed the ball into his own net at that point.
In addition to replacing the injured Osimhen with Terem Moffi, coach Jose Peseiro replaced Tyronne Ebuehi, Lookman, and Chukwueze with Bright Osayi-Samuel, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Moses Simon.
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This seemed to help Nigeria’s situation because Iheanacho and Simon constantly worried the Falcons’ defence, and Simon was responsible for Nigeria’s equaliser.
He did a great job setting up Victor Boniface to score what appeared to be his first Nigeria goal in the 73rd minute from a tight angle.
Later, it was determined that the goal was an own-goal.
Eight minutes later, when Moffi and Simon had combined to tangle the opposing defence, Iheanacho hammered the ball forcefully into the net beyond the flailing hands of the Falcons goalie.
The Super Eagles learned they would face the hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea in the group stage of the January Africa Cup of Nations less than 24 hours prior to the game.
Additionally, it had only been 48 hours before they decided to make “Let’s Do It Again” their motto for the trophy hunt in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles will play the Mambas of Mozambique on Monday at the same location in another friendly matchup before November matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
