The Super Eagles of Nigeria were denied victory in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night as Przemyslaw Wisniewski’s stunning late strike earned Poland a 2-2 draw in an entertaining international friendly at the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw.
Eric Chelle’s side looked set to secure another impressive result after goals from Terem Moffi and Paul Onuachu handed Nigeria the lead on two separate occasions. However, Wisniewski’s long-range effort deep into stoppage time ensured the hosts escaped with a share of the spoils.
The result came in a match that offered further insight into Chelle’s evolving squad, with several fresh faces handed opportunities following Nigeria’s Unity Cup triumph over Jamaica.
Among them was Banik Ostrava wing back Abdullahi Bewene, who made his senior international debut, while Igoh Ogbu, Tochukwu Nnadi and Terem Moffi retained their places from the side that started the Unity Cup final.
After a balanced opening period, Nigeria gradually established control against a physical Polish team and were rewarded in the 23rd minute.
The move began with impressive work from Marseille midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi, whose clever passing helped unlock the Polish defence before Moses Simon delivered a perfectly weighted ball behind the backline for Moffi to finish from close range.
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Although the assistant referee initially flagged for offside, a VAR review confirmed the striker had timed his run perfectly, allowing the goal to stand.
At the other end, Poland captain Robert Lewandowski found opportunities hard to come by during the first half as central defenders Igoh Ogbu and Emmanuel Fernandez largely kept the veteran striker under control.
However, the hosts found a route back into the contest moments before halftime.
A corner kick caused confusion inside the Nigerian penalty area before the loose ball fell kindly for Nicola Zalewski. The Atalanta midfielder squared it back into the danger area, where Kacper Potulski reacted quickest to poke home the equaliser.
Chelle responded with wholesale changes at the start of the second half, introducing Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Zaidu Sanusi, Raphael Onyedika, Paul Onuachu, Rafiu Durosinmi and Philip Otele as he continued to assess options within his squad.
One of those changes nearly backfired when a misplaced pass from Zaidu gifted Lewandowski a clear sight of goal. But Maduka Okoye, who produced an assured performance throughout the evening, reacted brilliantly to deny the Polish legend.
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Nigeria regained the lead through another VAR intervention.
After Fisayo Dele-Bashiru replaced Moses Simon, the Lazio midfielder delivered a dangerous corner kick that eventually led to a handball inside the Polish penalty area. Although there were few appeals initially, VAR advised Romanian referee Marian Barbu to review the incident on the pitch-side monitor.
Following the review, a penalty was awarded. Onuachu stepped forward and calmly sent goalkeeper Kamil Grabara the wrong way to restore Nigeria’s advantage.
The Super Eagles appeared on course for victory and were grateful to Okoye again in the 85th minute when the Udinese goalkeeper produced a superb double save to deny Lewandowski after an excellent free kick delivery from Kaminski.
But just when Nigeria seemed set to celebrate another win, Poland struck back in spectacular fashion.
Deep into stoppage time, Wisniewski unleashed a swerving effort from distance that flew into the top corner beyond the reach of Okoye. The quality of the strike left the Nigerian goalkeeper with no chance and arrived virtually with the final kick of the game.
Attention now turns to another high profile test, with the Super Eagles set to face Portugal in their next international friendly. Kick off is scheduled for 8:45pm WAT on June 10.
