Late Polish strike denies Nigeria victory in entertaining Warsaw friendly

 

By Maxwell Kumoye 

 

 

Nigeria maintained their unbeaten record against Poland at senior international level after goals from Terem Moffi and Paul Onuachu earned the Super Eagles a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the White-Reds in Warsaw on Wednesday night.

Determined to bounce back from their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Ukraine on Sunday, Poland started brightly and almost took the lead in the fourth minute when Jakub Kaminski's close-range header narrowly missed the target, with Maduka Okoye beaten.

Backed by more than 54,000 passionate supporters inside the 58,000-capacity Stadion PGE Narodowy, the hosts pressed aggressively through experienced striker Robert Lewandowski, Kaminski, Karol Swiderski, Piotr Zielinski and Kacper Potulski as they searched for an early breakthrough.

However, it was Nigeria who struck first.

The Super Eagles displayed composure and precision in attack, and in the 23rd minute, captain Wilfred Ndidi threaded a superb pass to Moses Simon, who unselfishly squared for Terem Moffi to tap home from close range.

Although the assistant referee initially flagged for offside, a VAR review overturned the decision and the goal was awarded.

Okoye remained alert to deny Swiderski in the 28th minute, while defender Igoh Ogbu produced a crucial intervention nine minutes later to prevent a dangerous cross from causing damage. 

Nigeria nearly doubled their advantage before halftime, but Tochukwu Nnadi's angled effort was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.

Poland eventually found an equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Following a corner kick and a goalmouth scramble, Potulski reacted quickest to slide the ball beyond Okoye and send the home fans into celebration.

Nigeria began the second half with renewed energy. Debutant Abdullah Bewene impressed throughout and played a key role in several attacking moves. In the 56th minute, Raphael Onyedika failed to keep his effort down after a promising Nigerian attack, while Bewene was again involved in the 73rd minute when Zaidu Sanusi's powerful strike was pushed away by Grabara.

Three minutes later, the Video Assistant Referee intervened once more, awarding Nigeria a penalty after a foul inside the area. Paul Onuachu stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to restore the Super Eagles' lead.

Poland continued to push for another equaliser and came close in the 82nd minute, but Okoye produced an excellent save to keep Nigeria ahead.

Just when it appeared the Super Eagles would secure back-to-back victories over the White-Reds, Przemyslaw Wiśniewski unleashed a stunning 25-yard strike that flew past Okoye to rescue a draw for the hosts.

The result extends Nigeria's unbeaten run against Poland to 12 matches and provides another encouraging performance for Head Coach Eric Chelle's side.

The Super Eagles will next face Portugal in another international friendly in Leiria next Wednesday. 

The match will serve as Portugal's final preparation game ahead of this year's FIFA World Cup finals.