Poland vs Nigeria: Eric chelle flexes squad depth, but sensational strike denies Super Eagles win
The Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by Poland at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.
Nigeria extended their unbeaten run in regulation time to 12 matches; however, a late screamer from Przemyslaw Wisniewski denied Eric Chelle’s side a deserved victory.
It was another brilliant performance from the Super Eagles, with Eric Chelle displaying the depth of Nigerian talent at his disposal.
Despite the absences of Ademola Lookman and Wilfred Osimhen, he managed to field two separate 11s in either half, with only captain Wilfred Ndidi and Banik Ostrava defender Abdullahi Bewene (Man of the Match) lasting the full duration. Still, the Super Eagles did not skip a beat.
Nigeria opened the scoring through Moses Simon and were on the ascendancy before Kacper Potulski restored parity, capitalising on suspect positioning from the otherwise brilliant Maduka Okoye.
Paul Onuachu restored Nigeria’s lead from the penalty spot in the 77th minute, and with Chelle’s side seconds away from beating Poland at home, Wisniewski released a thunderous strike from range which flew past Udinese’s shot stopper and nestled into the back of the net.
The match began with a lively tempo, as both sides sought to establish early dominance. Nigeria drew first blood midway through the first half, specifically the 22nd minute.
Terem Moffi capitalised on a well-worked offensive sequence and fired the ball into the net. Following a VAR review for a potential offside, the goal was officially awarded, giving the Super Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
Just as Nigeria looked ready to take their lead into the tunnel, the hosts struck back. Following a scramble in the penalty area with several rebounds, the ball fell kindly to defender Kacper Potulski, who poked it home to level the score at 1-1 right on the stroke of halftime.
Éric Chelle made sweeping changes at the break, introducing Philip Otele for Akor Adams, Paul Onuachu for goalscorer Moffi, and Semi Ajayi for Emmanuel Fernandez, among others.
Ndidi, who kept his place in the team despite the host of changes, won Nigeria a penalty in the second half. Following a VAR confirmation of the handball foul, substitute Onuachu stepped up to the spot and powered his penalty kick past Polish goalkeeper Kamil Grabara to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
Desperate to avoid a home defeat, Poland threw numbers forward in the dying moments. In stoppage time, Wiśniewski unleashed a powerful strike that beat Okoye, rescuing a 2-2 draw with virtually the last meaningful kick of the game.