CSKA Moscow midfielder Matvey Kislyak has blamed lapses in concentration for Russia’s failure to defeat Nigeria at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Tuesday, Footynaija reports.
Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles recovered from two goals down to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw with the Europeans in their international friendly.
Russia appeared on course for a fifth consecutive victory after building a commanding advantage, but the Super Eagles exploited defensive errors to snatch a share of the spoils and end the hosts’ impressive winning run.
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Kislyak was instrumental in Russia’s attacking performance, providing the assist for Lechi Sadulaev’s equaliser in the 30th minute before scoring shortly before half-time to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.
Aleksey Miranchuk increased Russia’s advantage in the 54th minute, leaving Nigeria with a difficult task. However, the Super Eagles refused to surrender, with debutant Peter Edokpolor and Akor Adams scoring to complete the comeback.
Speaking to Izvestia after the match, Kislyak admitted that individual mistakes proved decisive as Russia failed to protect their lead against Nigeria’s persistent attacking pressure.
“It’s hard to say. Basically, everything worked out for us. I think we played a good game,” the midfielder said.
“It’s just that individual errors led to opportunities near our own goal that led to goals.
“Of those three goals we conceded, two were due to a loss of concentration. Of course, conceding three goals is always bad. But overall, it was a good match on our part.”
The result ended Russia’s four-match winning streak, during which they had scored 14 goals without conceding.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will turn their attention to their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. The three-time African champions face Tanzania in back-to-back games next month.
