Nigeria’s 3-3 draw with Russia gave Eric Chelle the chance to look beyond the familiar names, with eight players making their first senior appearances for the Super Eagles and many of them leaving Nizhny Novgorod with moments worth remembering, Footynaija.com reports.
The friendly was always going to be different from Nigeria’s recent competitive matches because Chelle had to work with a squad weakened by injuries and clubs refusing to release some players. That opened the door for players who had never played for the senior national team.
Here are the eight who made their mark.
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Samuel James
The SJK FC goalkeeper was given the responsibility of starting against Russia after earning his first senior call-up. He was tested early and made several saves, including stops from Aleksandr Sobolev and Aleksey Batrakov.
Russia still scored three times, but James had enough work to show why Chelle wanted to see him against a strong opponent.
Chibuzo Nwoko
The Fulham midfielder started in the middle and became one of the youngest players on the pitch. Nwoko had entered the camp as one of the players receiving his first senior invitation, having developed in England and represented the country at youth level. He played 83 minutes before Vince Osuji replaced him.
Stephen Michael
Vendsyssel FF midfielder Stephen Michael also started and formed part of Chelle’s experimental midfield. The Denmark-based player was involved from the opening whistle and had to deal with a Russia side that dominated parts of the first half.
Igor Wilfred
The Kristiansund midfielder was another of the new faces in Chelle’s starting team. A defensive midfielder, Wilfred was involved in the central battle and stayed on the pitch throughout the match.
Peter Edokpolor
The Benfica forward produced the most memorable debut of the group. Introduced in the 70th minute, Edokpolor needed only eight minutes to get on the scoresheet, cutting the deficit to 3-2 with a right-footed finish after a fast break.
Abubakar Umar
The Famalicão forward came on for Moses Simon in the 70th minute and gave Nigeria another outlet in attack. He went close himself before playing the pass that set up Akor Adams for the 90th-minute equaliser.
Abdullahi Umar
The Hradec Králové forward entered at half-time for Kelechi Iheanacho and spent the second half testing the Russian defence. His biggest contribution was in stoppage time when he supplied Adams for Nigeria’s late equaliser.
Vince Osuji
Osuji was brought into the squad after late withdrawals and made his senior debut in the final stages. The young defender replaced Nwoko in the 83rd minute, giving him his first taste of Super Eagles football after developing through European club football.
For some of the eight, the Russia game was simply a first cap. For Edokpolor and the two Umar forwards, it also provided a chance to leave a mark on a night when Nigeria recovered from 3-1 down to draw 3-3.
