Nigeria’s impressive unbeaten streak came to an end on Wednesday night as Portugal claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory in an international friendly at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, Footynaija reports.
Eric Chelle’s men arrived in Portugal without a defeat in regulation time across their previous 12 matches, but they were eventually undone by a moment of brilliance from Francisco Conceição in a contest that provided a stern test against one of the teams already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The hosts controlled much of the early exchanges and were rewarded in the 23rd minute when Pedro Neto finished a well-worked attacking move. Portugal continued to threaten, with Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix both testing Nigeria’s defence, but goalkeeper Maduka Okoye produced several important saves to prevent the scoreline from growing.
Related Post
Nigeria gradually settled into the match and began finding space through Wilfred Ndidi and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in midfield. Their improvement was reflected on the scoresheet eight minutes before the break when Dele-Bashiru slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the penalty area for Akor Adams, who kept his composure to slot past the Portuguese goalkeeper and level the game at 1-1.
The encounter also marked a special occasion for Alex Iwobi, who earned his 100th cap for Nigeria, joining an exclusive list of Super Eagles centurions.
Both managers made several changes after halftime as the intensity remained high. Nigeria introduced Paul Onuachu, Frank Onyeka, Terem Moffi and Zaidu Sanusi, while Christian Akpan was handed his senior international debut before later making way for Abdullahi Bewene.
Just as the match appeared to be heading for a draw, Conceição produced the decisive moment in the 75th minute, weaving through defenders before firing a low shot into the corner.
Nigeria pressed for another equaliser in the closing stages but Portugal held firm, securing a confidence-boosting win while the Super Eagles shifted focus to their next international assignments.
