Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has shared his thoughts on Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Russia in an international friendly match played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Friday night.
The encounter saw Nigeria fall behind in the first half after defender Semi Ajayi accidentally turned the ball into his own net in the 27th minute, giving the Russians the advantage.
However, Tolu Arokodare came off the bench to salvage a draw for the Super Eagles with a well-taken goal 19 minutes from full time.
Speaking after the match, Chelle acknowledged the quality of the opposition and admitted his team faced a tough test.
“It was not an easy game because we played against a very good team,” the Malian tactician remarked.
“Russia have a good team with lot of pressure and technical quality.
“They had their chances in first half and they took it, we had our chance but the goalkeeper saved it.
“In the second half, Russia had two chances, but we had a chance and we scored.”
Chelle noted that his side’s sluggish start and ineffective pressing in the first half played into Russia’s hands but praised the team’s improved effort after the break.
“We didn’t play well in first half, we didn’t enforce our pressing game so well, but we were better in the second half with our pressing and that made the difference for us.”
He also pointed out that the team’s rhythm was disrupted due to several changes made to the line-up.
“We have made lots of changes to the squad, our usual pressing game was a bit difficult, the new players are yet to fully understand how we want to play, so we need to keep working on our playing pattern and try to find balance,” he concluded.
The draw offers Chelle and his technical crew key insights as they continue preparations for upcoming fixtures.