Highlights and goals of Russia vs Nigeria (1-1) in International Friendly

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Russia draws 1-1 with Nigeria in what was their return to the Luzhniki Stadium. A goal against gave the advantage to the home team, but in the second half he woke up and improved a little the visiting team that thanks to a bad start, took advantage to equalize the score.

Four more minutes will be played, the referee considers that not much time has been lost, beyond a few punctual moves. Both teams are still looking for the goal that gives them victory, but everything seems to indicate that this result is positive.

RUSSIA GOT THE WINNING GOAL!

In a great move that ended by right side, appeared inside the area one of the local strikers and surprised the defense of Nigeria who did not expect it, the player took a powerful shot from half-volley that left deflected.

The whole of Russia starts to control the ball a little more, it also wants to master the development of commitment and has depth, but no precision to generate risk. Nigeria wants to take care of the draw and score differently when they don’t have the ball.

Russia wants to react, since from the beginning of the second half they had given the ball to Nigeria and despite having no proximity with the opposing goal, they did manage to win some spaces in the offensive zone. Coaches give directions from the line.

Tense and very friction is the commitment, after the tie, neither of the two teams want to give advantage in any sector of the court. The public cheers up hoping that the locals can improve in the game and make a comeback.

GOOOOOAL! GOOOOAL! GOOOOAL FROM NIGERIA!

A gift from the Russian goalkeeper gave the opportunity to the visiting team that had been looking for the goal, Tolu Arokodare was attentive in the bad pass that sought to give the goalkeeper to one of his teammates and after the advance, he could set to equalize the score.

Tolu Arokodare | 🇷🇺 Russia 1-1 Nigeria 🇳🇬pic.twitter.com/xzesmUI8uL

— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) June 6, 2025

Nigeria wanted to propose in offensive, won some spaces and begins to show a different dynamic, wants the tie. Russia seeks to counteract the intensity with which it attacks its rival, but at times, it has a hard time winning the position.

The visitors take confidence and start to play a little more on the opposing field, they are looking for the draw in different ways, but still do not have enough precision to generate danger. The locals are still trying to take care of their area as much as possible.

No new developments in the areas, Russia remains very intense and restrains Nigeria’s attempts to pass from half-court. That’s where the compromise is disputed, there are no major actions to highlight, neither of the two selections has ever touched rival field.

The visiting team does not manage to get organized on the pitch, even when it recovers the ball, does not know what to do, has no good mobility and is a different team than that usually known. The locals maintain strength in defense and regularity in attack.

Russia tries to play their game, but it has been difficult for them to hold the ball in these first moments, they are losing possession easily when they try to attack and Nigeria seeks to give them a little more calm, handling the situation.

The teams return to the court, the local coach makes a change: Lechi Sadulaev leaves and gives entry to Andrey Mostovoy. In the visit follow the same 11 and the referee gives the order to start the last 45 minutes.

The central judge gave the whistle to finish the first 45 minutes. The atmosphere has been amazing at Luzhniki Stadium, Russia have a 1-0 lead over Nigeria. The commitment has been intense, interesting for both teams that have left good feelings and full of surprises for the good level.

WHAT A TIE YOU MADE MATVEY SAFONOV! UNBELIEVABLE! 

Nigeria had a clear opportunity against the goal, Victor Boniface came and defined well, but the Russian goalkeeper was attentive to send the ball to the corner shot, avoiding the draw.

Contrary to what was expected is what the visiting team is doing, won the ball for several minutes and did not seek to generate risk to his opponent, only touched the ball in defense hoping a little more mobility. The locals did not suffer and quickly regained control.

The intensity persists, the game is being very interesting, the locals are in charge of maintaining a high and dynamic pace in all sectors of the court, while Nigeria wants to recover the ball to start playing.

GOOOOAL! GOOOOOAL! GOOOOOAL FROM RUSSIA!

The locals had been insistent in the search for the first goal until it came, after a corner shooting action, the center reached the area and against ended scoring Semi Ajayi, the central, who could not clear. 

Semi Ajayi (OG) | 🇷🇺 Russia 1-0 Nigeria 🇳🇬pic.twitter.com/jsqA4XJDDK

— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) June 6, 2025

Slow down a bit, the hosts control the actions, distribute the ball calmly side by side and move forward as the 'Super Eagles' leave options to pass on offense. Commitment has good energy.    

The coaches give instructions from the band to adjust their players, but the teams still do not have order on the pitch. Russia wants to control from the ball possession, but Nigeria is well positioned and recovers easily.

The local team tried, has managed to have a little closer with the rival area. Visitors are still looking to take care of their area, but have made some exit mistakes. The engagement is very intense and disputed, it is played at a good pace.

Russia has not been able to control the ball as he wants or expects, it has not been so precise and that is costing him to have to give in to a Nigeria that when he regains possession of the ball, tries to play fast by the bands to generate attack options.

There are no new features in the arches, but you can highlight the speed with which the game is played. Russia wants to get out fast and have interesting moves in offensive to gain spaces, Nigeria tries to press high and get out fast in counterattack.

Quiet game in the start, the locals are trying to get out with possession of the ball, but they are making bad decisions and end up giving the opportunity to their opponent to place better on the court. There is a good atmosphere in the stadium.

The two teams are already on the pitch, it is played with full stadium. Nigeria take the kick-off and try to go quickly to the opposite zone, while Russia try to push high to avoid losing the ball.

The Luzhniki Stadium, located in Moscow, is Russia’s national stadium and the largest in the country, with a capacity of 78,011 spectators. It is part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex and its name comes from the meadows along the Moskva river where it was built.

It has hosted major events such as the 1980 Olympic Games and the 2018 FIFA World Cup final. It also hosted the UEFA Cup Finals (1999) and the Champions League (2008). Currently, it hosts matches of the Russian national team, concerts and is temporary headquarters of FC Torpedo in Moscow.

Although they have dominated in their recent performances, the Eastern European giants may feel out of their comfort zone against a rival of another caliber. Beating teams like Brunei, Grenada or Cuba is one thing; to compete with Nigeria, the three-time African champion, no matter how much it gets, is a challenge of another dimension.

The Super Eagles will seek to close this international window with force, supported by their explosive speed and physical power. Under the direction of Eric Chelle, the Nigerian team stands out for its intensity and aggressiveness when it does not have the ball, a pressure that could overflow at times to a Russia unaccustomed to this pace.

Nigeria has won only three of its last 13 friendly matches, while it has lost eight and drawn two since July 2021. Russia are unbeaten in their last 11 matches, with nine wins and two draws from a 2-1 loss against Egypt U23 in September 2023.

Nigeria has a run of seven consecutive away games with no losses, with four wins and three draws since losing 2-1 to Benin in World Cup qualifiers in June 2024.

Russia faces its first test in more than two years, while Nigeria lacks several stars but still has the pace and physical ability to cause trouble. For Russia, it is a question of showing that its unbeaten streak is not by chance. For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to remind themselves and the world that they still belong to the fiercest fighters in international football.

These are the alternatives that will be on the substitutes' bench waiting for the coach to consider making modifications to adjust the team in the development of the match.

1 Amas Obasogie

5 Igoh Ogbu

44 Benjamin Fredrick

2 Ismaila Sodiq

10 Papa Daniel

8 Isaac Saviour

40 Olakunle Olusegun

99 Tolu Arokodare

29 Alimi Sikiru

We share with you the starting line-up that will go out in search of the three points to keep the team's confidence up.

These are the alternatives that will be on the substitutes' bench waiting for the coach to consider making modifications to adjust the team in the development of the match.

1 Andrey Lunev

 Anton Mitryushkin

95 Arsen Adamov

4 Yuri Gorshkov

70 Valentin Paltsev

 Turpal-Ali Ibishev

51 Dzhamalutdin Abdulkadyrov

6 Dmitriy Barinov

25 Danil Prutsev

10 Lechi Sadulaev

31 Matvey Kislyak

9 Sergey Pinyaev

91 Yaroslav Gladyshev

13 Ivan Sergeev

We share with you the starting line-up that will go out in search of the three points to keep the team's confidence up.

Knowing some places and doing activation work, the players from Nigeria went for a walk a few hours before the match.

Team Walk 🦅🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/HaWwlvWq90

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) June 6, 2025

The Russian national team will have the opportunity to play in their stadium, against their people and will look for a victory to continue preparing for the upcoming competitions.

Сборная России возвращается в «Лужники» 😎

Какой ваш любимый матч на главном стадионе страны? 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/iHmtuFusRs

— Сборная России (@TeamRussia) June 6, 2025

"Football brings people together and shows the best of humanity. Tomorrow the game will be watched by a wide range of spectators, both Nigerian and Russian. I hope many spectators will come to the stadium, and it will be a great pride for us to play in front of them. The game is important. It’s friendly, but we still want to win. I think that despite being friendly, both teams will fight for victory".

About the stadium: "There are memories, for example, of the match against Croatia. But for many footballers this is new: four years ago they were not in the national team. And some, on the contrary, played here very recently, such as, for example, Kislyak. So I don’t think that this will stir up special emotions in everyone".

We’re back! We are preparing to bring you all the details of the exciting match between Russia vs Nigeria for the International Friendly.

We invite you to follow with us every move, emotion and key moment of this match that will define the champion. ¡ Don’t miss a single moment of the action!

We will soon be sharing the initial lineups of the Russia vs Nigeria match and live, as well as the latest information coming from the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Don’t miss a detail of the live match update and VAVEL coverage comments.

The match Russia vs Nigeria will not be broadcast live on television.

If you want to watch it online, VAVEL is your best option.                       

This is the starting time of the match: Russia vs Nigeria - 6 June in several countries:

Argentina: 14:00 PM

Bolivia: 13:00 PM

Brazil: 14:00 PM

Chile: 14:00 PM

Colombia: 12:00 PM

Ecuador: 12:00 PM

USA (ET) 12:00 PM

Spain: 19:00 PM

Mexico: 11:00 AM

Paraguay: 14:00 PM

Peru: 12:00 PM

Uruguay: 14:00 PM

Venezuela: 13:00 PM

Russia will have a strong call for this friendly, highlighting the presence of goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, recent UEFA Champions League champion with PSG. The starting eleven is expected to be similar to the one that beat Zambia, with Nikolay Komlichenko leading the home side’s attack.

Nigeria, for its part, arrives with a modified squad due to several injuries and personal reasons. The titular goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali will not be available, so Maduka Okoye will take his place.

Also low are Ola Aina, Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Chukwueze. However, the team received a major boost with the addition of captain William Ekong and Bright Osayi-Samuel, who joined the group in Moscow this week.

The Super Eagles arrive in Moscow with an unbeaten run of six matches, which included three wins, two draws and a penalty shootout win against Jamaica in their final fixture. Before that, they had beaten their classic rival Ghana 2-1, thus winning the title of a friendly mini-series.

This match against Russia is key in its preparation for the World Cup qualifiers in September, where Nigeria is obliged to add almost all the points at stake. He currently ranks fourth in his group with seven points, six less than the leader South Africa, whom he will face alongside Rwanda, Lesotho and Benin in their next decisive engagements.

Since its suspension of the official competition in 2022, Russia has chosen to remain active through a series of friendlies, mainly facing teams from outside Europe and the West. His last official match was in 2021 against Croatia, and since then he has focused his efforts on keeping fit through exhibition matches.

Sbornaya come in with a streak of eight consecutive wins, including a strong 5-0 win over Zambia in March. During this period, he has scored 45 goals without receiving any. However, the friendly against Nigeria represents their biggest challenge in a long time, a real opportunity to gauge the true current level of the team.

The match will be led by Azerbaijani referee Aliyar Agayev, who will be accompanied by his compatriots Zeynal Zeynalov and Akif Amirali as assistant referees. The Russian Evgeny Kukulyak will complete the referee body as fourth referee.

Thus the departure to the place where the second training session of the players of the Nigeria national team was recorded.

 

 

 

 

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Una publicación compartida por Nigeria Super Eagles (@ng_supereagles)

The players and coaching staff of Russia have adjusted the last details prior to the engagement they will play at home.

 

 

 

 

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Una publicación compartida por Сборная России по футболу (@teamrussia)

"I don’t know much about the Russian national team now. We understand that it has changed a lot. Over the past three days, we have seen many videos to better understand their game. We take this opponent very seriously. We know that the Russian national team has not scored a single goal in recent matches; we will try to change that tomorrow. We really want to play".

"Tomorrow we will try to combine different styles; we already understand how to act. We have been working with the coach since the beginning of the year, and this match is a good opportunity to strengthen our team and continue to progress. There are new players in the squad; this is a great opportunity for them to show how they meet the expectations of the coaching staff. We have seen the Russian team play aggressively, often with a 4-3-3 and high pressure".

"We have been watching their games for two days. They are a good team: physically strong and technically skilled players. We have an interesting game tomorrow. There is no point in singling out anyone. They are all high-level players. I don’t think it’s a problem for them that, as you say, there are no key players".

"For me it is important that the players, while in the national team, are 100% focused on their tasks and do not think about anything else. We know that the Russian team is very strong. It has many high-level players who demonstrate an intense, aggressive and technically powerful game. Now I’m thinking about how to make a plan for the next game".

"In any case, for me, as a coach, it is important to seek victory in every match, regardless of its importance. Tomorrow’s match is a friendly, but we have serious objectives: first, we want to win and second, prepare for the next tournaments and qualifying matches".

"It doesn’t matter who we play, Nigeria or Serbia, we want to do what we practice in training. It is clear that it is more difficult to put pressure on Serbia or Cameroon than, for example, on Grenada or Brunei. That’s what I want to see: how we defend, how we push, how we get out of the defense against a different level team. But the demands are always the same, regardless of the rival. We prepare as we should, taking into account the characteristics of each team".

"My preparation for the national team matches changed after I stopped being available to the club. I was able to independently assess the candidates, attend matches and study the last matches of the Nigerian national team with the new coach".

¡Hello to all VAVEL readers! Welcome to the Russia vs Nigeria International Friendly match broadcast. The match will take place at the Luzhniki Stadium, located in Moscow, Russia at 13:00 hs ET.

My name is Ángela María Guzmán Morales and I will be your host for this match. We will bring you pre-match analysis, score updates and live news here on VAVEL.