Nigeria’s Super Eagles fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup-bound Portugal in an entertaining international friendly in Leiria on Wednesday night, as the FIFA World Cup-bound hosts proved too strong in the end.
The match also marked a major milestone for midfielder Alex Iwobi, who received special recognition before kick-off upon making his 100th appearance for the Super Eagles.
Before the game, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, and Nigeria Football Federation Executive Committee member Sharif Rabiu Inuwa presented Iwobi with a commemorative framed shirt in honour of his century of appearances for the national team.
Both teams created early chances, with Ronaldo missing an opportunity in the ninth minute after finding himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. At the other end, Akor Adams also went close but dragged his effort narrowly wide.
Portugal eventually broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Pedro Neto finished from close range after being picked out by Diogo Dalot during a swift attacking move.
The hosts continued to threaten and nearly doubled their lead 10 minutes later, but Okoye produced an outstanding save to deny Bruno Fernandes. Moments later, Ronaldo sent a glancing header narrowly off target from a Fernandes corner.
Nigeria equalised in the 37th minute through Akor Adams. The striker showed determination and strength to win an aerial challenge near the halfway line before continuing his run into the penalty area. After receiving a well-timed pass from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Adams fired past Diogo Costa to level the scores.
The Super Eagles continued to compete strongly after the restart, although Okoye was again called into action with a series of important saves. The Udinese goalkeeper produced a double stop to deny João Félix in the 48th and 49th minutes, while Ronaldo’s search for a goal continued without success as he failed to make the most of another promising opportunity.
Coach Éric Chelle refreshed his side on the hour mark, introducing Abdullahi Bewene, Zaidu Sanusi, Terem Moffi, Raphael Onyedika and Frank Onyeka. The changes injected fresh energy into Nigeria’s performance, with the Super Eagles enjoying some of their best attacking moments of the second half.
However, Portugal regained the advantage with 15 minutes remaining when Francisco Conceição cut inside from the right and fired beyond Okoye to restore the hosts’ lead. Nigeria continued to battle until the final whistle, but Portugal held on despite further pressure from Chelle’s side.
Okoye remained one of Nigeria’s standout performers, denying Félix again in the 84th minute with another excellent save. Despite finishing with only 38 per cent possession, the Super Eagles left Leiria with plenty of positives, having matched one of Europe’s strongest teams for long periods and demonstrated the progress made under Chelle.
