Super Eagles forward, Kelechi Iheanacho, has rued Nigeria’s 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia in an international friendly at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão on Friday.
Iheanacho started the game on the bench as head coach Jose Peseiro opted for the duo Victor Boniface and Victor Osimhen to lead the attack for the Eagles.
Nigeria created the best chances of the encounter in the first half but trailed by a goal five minutes after the hour mark after the Leicester City player was introduced for Samuel Chukwueze.
The Eagles had fell behind against the run of play after goalkeeper Francis Uzoho made a mess of Salman Al Faraj’s direct free-kick from the left flank.
Minutes after the Eagles celebrated their equaliser in the 73rd minute through an Abdulelah Al Amri own goal before Iheanacho stuck from the edge of the box with a brilliant left-footed shot into the top corner in the 81st minute to make it 2-1 for Peseiro’s men.
However, the Eagles could not hold on for the win, though, as Mohamed Kanno’s deflected free-kick deep into stoppage time earned Saudi Arabia a share of the spoils.
The draw means Nigeria have not won any of their last 15 friendly games, a poor run that extends back to 2019. It also ended the Eagles’ three-game winning streak in all competitions, which included victories over Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and São Tome and Príncipe.
After the encounter, Iheanacho wrote on X, “Not the result we wanted. We learn and focus on the next game.”
Nigeria will face Mozambique on Monday in another international friendly in Portugal.
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