In a noteworthy victory, the Super Eagles, playing without their key striker Victor Osimhen, secured a 3-2 win over Mozambique on Monday.
This triumph, Truth Live News reports, marked Nigeria’s first victory in a friendly match in five years.
Mozambique had initially taken the lead just seven minutes into the game with a goal by Geny Catamo, raising concerns that Nigeria’s winless streak in friendly matches might persist.
However, Terem Moffi of OGC Nice managed to score from close range, equalizing for the Super Eagles 13 minutes later at the Estádio Municipal de Albufeira in Portugal.
Nigeria continued to dominate the match, and it was no surprise when they took the lead.
Frank Onyeka of Brentford capitalized on a loose ball at the edge of the box, scoring their second goal at the half-hour mark, making it 2-1 for the Eagles.
Mozambique found themselves reduced to ten men after a foul on Joe Aribo in the 37th minute.
Shortly after, Nigeria was awarded a penalty when a Mozambique player handled Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s free-kick. Simon Moses successfully converted the spot kick for Nigeria’s third goal of the day.
The referee blew the halftime whistle, with Jose Peseiro’s team enjoying a comfortable lead.
In the second half, both teams attempted to add to their score, but it was Mozambique that managed to find the back of the net. Faisal Abdul Bangal beat Francis Uzoho near the goal to narrow the deficit.
Nigeria made some late-game substitutions, including Sadiq Umar, who thought he had scored in the 70th and 84th minutes, but his goals were ruled offside.
With four minutes of added time after the regulation 90 minutes, the Super Eagles secured their first victory in a friendly match since their 1-0 win over Egypt in March 2019.
During the period between that win and Monday’s game, Nigeria had played fifteen friendly matches, managing seven losses and eight draws.
The Super Eagles’ next challenge will be against Lesotho at home on November 13, 2023, before they embark on a journey to face the Warriors of Zimbabwe three days later.