The Super Eagles were on Tuesday held to a 1-1 draw by the continent’s second-ranked team Tunisia in a cagey friendly affair at the Jacques Lemmans Arena in Austria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the game was the Super Eagles’ second friendly encounter within four days.
Gernot Rohr’s men were defeated 1-0 by an early Ramy Bensebaïni goal for Algeria on Friday.
However, against the Carthage Eagles, Nigeria took an early lead through Kelechi Iheanacho in the 21st minute.
But Tunisia levelled before the break, after Iheanacho was presented with a glorious opportunity to double the lead and missed from the penalty spot.
There was little to choose between two squads of Eagles from the African continent even as Coach Gernot Rohr handed first caps to two more players – Cyril Dessers and Chidera Ejuke.
This meant Nigeria has handed caps to a total of six players in these two friendly games, after Zaidu Sanusi, Frank Onyeka, Kevin Akpoguma and Samson Tijani took theirs against Algeria on Friday.
Captain Ahmed Musa started a game for the first time in a long time – one of five changes that Rohr made to the team that started against the African champions in Klagenfurt on Friday.
Kenneth Omeruo was back at the heart of the defence and Moses Simon took the place of Samuel Kalu, while Kevin Akpoguma took over at right back consigning Tyronne Ebuehi to the bench.
The changes, aligned with the striped white jersey as against the darkish green against Algeria, made the Eagles look brighter on the turn against a well –organised Tunisian side that had plenty of guile, skill and steel.
Their steel earned them two yellow cards within the first 12 minutes, and after being appropriately inducted, the Super Eagles decided to add some steel to their own game.
England –based Iheanacho took the marksman’s role from gangling Paul Onuachu.
After two misdirected shots by Samuel Chukwueze and Zaidu Sanusi, the former U-17 World Cup winner showed his team mates how to finish in front of goal.
This was after he held the ball well inside the box, against Dylane Bronn, before firing past goalkeeper Ben Farouk to put Nigeria in the lead in the 21st minute for the first time in the tour.
Captain Youssef Msakni, Wabil Khazri, Issama Haddadi and Mohamed Drajer posed all sorts of problems for the Nigerian defence with their pace, trickery and telepathy.
Yet, the North Africans would have been two goals down on the half hour.
Iheanacho, granted the opportunity to score his 10th international goal, saw his tame shot from the penalty spot saved by Farouk after the goalkeeper had brought down Ahmed Musa.
As the clock closed in on the first period, Drajer saw his shot from a corner fly away, a sweet move by Simon and Iheanacho was decoded by an alert rearguard of the Carthage Eagles and Okoye saved from Khazri.
But there was still time for a twist, as the effervescent Hamza Rafia ghosted past Omeruo on the line and gifted Drajer to hammer into the net for Tunisia’s equaliser.
The second half was no less interesting. Iheanacho rose to meet the ball from a corner but headed narrowly over, and at the other end, Drajer side-netted.
Musa, on his 93rd senior cap for Nigeria, looked good to put Nigeria ahead in the 67th minute but he lacked the pace to meet up with a good pass from Iheanacho.
Both teams showed grit and intent, with some eye-catching touches, good marking, adroit use of space and some individual brilliance.
On the dot of time, the Carthage Eagles came quite close to nicking it, but Okoye, winning only his third cap for Nigeria, was alert enough to tip over the bar a tricky lob by Naim Sliti.
Next up for the Super Eagles is a quickfire home-and-away Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying fixture against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone, between Nov. 9 and 17.
Meanwhile, a 10-man Algeria gave up a late equaliser and had to settle for a 2-2 draw in their friendly against Mexico at The Hague on Tuesday on a night of little cheer for some of Africa’s heavyweight teams.
Several leading sides were playing friendly internationals in preparation for next month’s resumption of the Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers (AFCON), but there was little for them to enthuse over.
Ismael Bennacer and Riyad Mahrez scored for Algeria but they had to play much of the second half down to 10-men after midfielder Adlene Guedioura was sent off for a second booking.
The African champions came from behind to lead when already at a numerical disadvantage, but gave up an 86th-minute equaliser to Diego Lainez.
In Utrecht, Japan’s late substitute Naomichi Ueda struck a stoppage-time winner against the Cote de’ Ivoire, who had let key attacker Wilfried Zaha return to his club Crystal Palace before the match after an injury scare.
Nigeria took a 21st-minute lead in Sankt Veit an der Glan against Tunisia through Kelechi Iheanacho, but Mohamed Drager tapped in for the equaliser just before the interval.
Morocco went ahead against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rabat through Dutch-born defender Noussair Mazraoui on the stroke of halftime, but were stunned by a 60th-minute equaliser for Yoane Wissa with the game ending 1-1.
Veteran Mateus Galiano scored twice as Angola hammered Mozambique 3-0 in Rio Maior, Portugal, while Niger were 1-0 home winners over Sierra Leone.
Senegal called off their home friendly against neighbours Mauritania just hours before kick off on Tuesday because of COVID-19 infections in the visitors’ camp.
The announcement by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) brought to four the number of internationals involving African countries called off over the last two days because of the novel coronavirus infections or concerns over infections.
Senegal, already without talisman Sadio Mane who last week tested positive, were due to host the game in Thies.
The FSF statement said that after testing, eight members of the Mauritanian party were found to be positive, forcing the cancellation.
New infections in Mali’s camp led to the cancellation of Tuesday’s friendly against Iran in Antalya, Turkey.
It was called off on Monday after two more infections in the Mali squad added to four positive cases last week.
Gambia’s match against Guinea in Portugal was also called off 24 hours before kick off because of alleged COVID-19 infections in the Guinea camp that left them with just nine players available.
Another planned friendly in Portugal at the weekend between Angola and Guinea Bissau was also cancelled.
The Angolan federation said their Guinea Bissau opponents had not taken tests in time and because the results would only be available after the kick off, the game was cancelled. (Reuters/NAN)
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