Former Nigeria international Garba Lawal has praised the character the Super Eagles showed in their dramatic 3-3 draw against Russia, insisting Eric Chelle’s experimental side gave Nigerians encouraging signs despite failing to secure victory.
Nigeria travelled to Nizhny Novgorod with a heavily depleted squad after several withdrawals, forcing Chelle to give opportunities to many inexperienced players. Nine players eventually made their senior international debuts during the encounter.
Lawal, an Olympic gold medalist with Nigeria at Atlanta 1996, believes the young players responded positively to the challenge and showed the fighting qualities required at international level.
The Super Eagles took an early lead through Kelechi Iheanacho, but Russia recovered through Lechi Sadulaev and Matvey Kislyak before half-time. Aleksey Miranchuk extended the hosts’ advantage to 3-1 nine minutes after the restart.
Nigeria, however, refused to collapse.
Debutant Peter Edokpolor reduced the deficit in the 78th minute before Akor Adams struck in the fourth minute of stoppage time to complete a remarkable comeback.
Lawal said the performance deserved recognition because Chelle was working with a side significantly different from his regular Super Eagles team.
“They played well. I think they showed zeal and character,” Lawal said, noting that fighting back from 3-1 down demonstrated the mentality within the group.
Beyond the result, Lawal believes the friendly served another important purpose by giving Chelle an opportunity to assess younger players who could become part of Nigeria’s plans for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification campaign.
Chelle is responsible for both the Super Eagles and Nigeria’s U-23 programme and deliberately used the Russia assignment to assess players who could increase his options across both teams.
For Lawal, himself a member of the Nigerian team that famously won Olympic football gold in 1996, that opportunity should not be underestimated.
After the disappointment of the 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau, the Russia encounter demanded a response.
Nigeria did not get the victory, but for Lawal, the young players delivered something important — character, resilience and a reminder that there are more options waiting beyond the established Super Eagles names.
