Moses Simon believes Nigeria’s young players have given the Super Eagles something to look forward to after showing character in a demanding 3-3 draw with Russia, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria went into the friendly with a heavily changed squad after injuries, club restrictions and other withdrawals affected Chelle’s selection. Only six players in the starting XI had previously played for the Super Eagles, with Simon among the more experienced members of a team that also included a number of players being assessed for bigger roles in the future.
Kelechi Iheanacho gave Nigeria an early lead with his 15th international goal, but Russia turned the game around before half-time through Lechi Sadulaev and Matvey Kislyak. Aleksey Miranchuk then made it 3-1 shortly after the restart.
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The response was important. Nigeria did not allow the two-goal deficit to end the contest and pulled one back in the 78th minute before Akor Adams completed the comeback in stoppage time.
The draw also gave Chelle another chance to assess the depth available to him after the Super Eagles’ disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their previous match.
Simon sees plenty to believe in
Simon, who wore the captain’s armband against Russia, praised the younger players after the match and pointed to their response under pressure as a reason for optimism.
“A tough atmosphere, a demanding test, but these young players stood tall and showed real character to earn a commendable draw,” the Paris FC winger wrote on social media.
Simon also pointed to the qualities he saw from the emerging players during the game.
“The talent, courage and composure on display offer plenty of reasons to believe in a brighter and greater future for this team,” he added.
Simon was one of the few senior players in a Nigeria side that featured a large group of newcomers, making his assessment particularly relevant as Chelle considers which of the players can remain around the senior squad.
Chelle has also said that some of the younger players demonstrated enough potential to become part of the national team’s main group in the future. The coach now has a short period to assess those performances before deciding which players will remain in his plans for November.
For Simon, the message was that the players who were given an opportunity in Russia did enough to make him believe Nigeria has more options coming through.
“The future is looking good for our country,” he concluded.
