In an exhilarating friendly match on Monday, the Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, triumphed over Mozambique with a 3-2 scoreline, marking a significant milestone as their first victory in a friendly game in five years.

Mozambique started the game on a high note, taking the lead seven minutes into the match through Geny Catamo. This initial setback raised concerns that Nigeria’s unfavourable streak in friendly games might persist. However, Terem Moffi of OGC Nice came to the rescue, levelling the score with a close-range shot 13 minutes later at the Estádio Municipal de Albufeira in Albufeira, Portugal.

As the game progressed, Nigeria began to exert control over the proceedings. It was no surprise when they took the lead, with Frank Onyeka of Brentford capitalising on a loose ball at the half-hour mark, firing a spectacular shot from the edge of the box to make it 2-1 in favour of the Super Eagles.

Mozambique’s troubles compounded when they were reduced to ten men in the 37th minute after a foul on Joe Aribo, who was heading towards the goal.

Nevertheless, Nigeria had to wait a few more minutes before they netted their third goal. The Mambas of Mozambique conceded a penalty after their player handled Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s free-kick. Simon Moses stepped up to take the penalty, and his spot-kick found the bottom right corner of the net. As the half-time whistle blew, Jose Peseiro’s team took a comfortable lead into the dressing room.

The second half of the game saw both teams striving to add more goals to their tally. Mozambique found the back of the net, with Faisal Abdul Bangal beating Francis Uzoho near the goal, reducing the deficit.

Nigeria made several changes in the later stages of the match, with Sadiq Umar being one of the substitutes. The Real Sociedad striker seemed poised to add to the scoreline, but his goals in the 70th and 84th minutes were disallowed for offsides.

After the regulation 90 minutes, four minutes of added time were played, during which the Super Eagles successfully defended their lead against the East African opponents. This victory marked a long-awaited turnaround for the Nigerian team, as their last friendly win had come in March 2019 when they secured a 1-0 victory over Egypt.