The Nigerian national football team, popularly known as the Eagles, finally ended their four-year winless run in friendly matches with a 3-2 win over Mozambique on Monday.
The match was played at the Estadio Municipal De Albufeira Portimao in Portugal, where the Eagles are preparing for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
The Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, made nine changes to the starting lineup that drew 2-2 with Saudi Arabia on Friday. Only goalkeeper Francis Uzoho and right-back Bruno Onyemaechi kept their places in the team. Peseiro gave debut caps to Jordan Torunarigha and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who played as a left-back and a left-winger respectively.
Eagles soar in the first half
The Eagles started the game brightly and took the lead in the 12th minute through Terem Moffi, who scored his first international goal with a powerful header from a Moses Simon cross.
The Eagles doubled their lead in the 28th minute when Joe Aribo slotted home a rebound after Moffi’s shot was parried by the Mozambican keeper.
The Eagles dominated the first half and created several chances to extend their lead, but were denied by some good saves and poor finishing.
Mozambique fight back in the second half
The second half was a different story, as Mozambique came out with more intensity and aggression. They pulled one back in the 52nd minute when Luis Miquissone scored with a curling shot from outside the box that beat Uzoho.
The Eagles restored their two-goal cushion in the 67th minute when Dele-Bashiru scored a stunning solo goal, dribbling past three defenders and firing a low shot into the bottom corner.
However, Mozambique did not give up and scored again in the 79th minute when Reginaldo Faife converted a penalty after Torunarigha fouled him in the box. The Eagles held on for the final 10 minutes and secured their first friendly win since 2019.
