Nigeria extended their unbeaten run to seven matches after Tolu Arokodare’s second-half goal secured a 1-1 draw against Russia in Moscow.
Head coach Eric Chelle is without key stars such as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, but those absences left room for the likes of Arokodare to make a name for themselves.
The 24-year-old Genk forward replaced Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface after the hour at the Luzhniki Stadium.
In the 71st minute, he latched onto an error from Russia goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, whose poor clearance left Arokodare with a simple finish for a first international goal on his fourth appearance for the Super Eagles.
Russia, who are playing as the Football Union of Russia due to the nation still being prohibited from official competitions by UEFA and FIFA, led in the 27th minute when Nigeria centre-back Semi Ajayi put Danil Krugovoy’s cross through his own net.
Valery Karpin’s side pushed for a late winner, but Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye produced a superb save to deny Aleksey Batrakov before substitute Dmitriy Barinov blazed over from close range.
Russia vs. Nigeria final score
| Fulltime | Goalscorers | |
| Russia | 1 | Ajayi (OG) 27′ |
| Nigeria | 1 | Arokodare 71′ |
Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Lineups:
Russia (4-3-3, right to left): Safonov (GK) — Vakhaniya, Osipenko, Melekhin, Krugovoy — Batrakov, Glebov, Miranchuk — Glushenkov, Komlichenko, Mostovoy
Nigeria (4-2-3-1, right to left): Okoye (GK) — Osayi-Samuel, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Onyemaechi — Onyeka, Onyedika — Dele-Bashiru, Uche, Simon — Boniface
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Russia vs. Nigeria kick off time
The international friendly match kicked off in Moscow at 8 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Fri, June 6 | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Fri, June 6 | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | Fri, June 6 | 6:00 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Sat, June 7 | 4:00 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Fri, June 6 | 11:30 p.m. IST |
Russia vs. Nigeria lineups, team news
With many Russian players forced to move back home, only two on the entire roster hail from clubs outside the Russian Premier League. Starting goalkeeper Matvei Safonov is the backup to Gianluigi Donnarumma at Paris Saint-Germain, while this roster’s top goal-scorer Anton Miranchuk plays for FC Sion in Switzerland.
Zenit St. Petersburg forward Maksim Glushenkov had a good finish to the club season, ending the campaign with nine goals and five assists as Zenit missed out on the league title by one point.
Russia lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Safonov (GK) — Vakhaniya, Osipenko, Melekhin, Krugovoy — Batrakov, Glebov, Miranchuk — Glushenkov, Komlichenko, Mostovoy
After leaving many of their top attacking stars off the roster for the Unity Cup, Nigeria have brought Victor Boniface in for this friendly against Russia.
Still, Victor Osimhen remains out as he sorts out his club situation, while Fulham duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi were given rest along with Ademola Lookman and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Samuel Chukwueze, Ola Aina, Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Sadiq Umar, and Nathan Tella have also been excused from this game.
Nigeria lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Okoye (GK) — Osayi-Samuel, Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Onyemaechi — Onyeka, Onyedika — Dele-Bashiru, Uche, Simon — Boniface
