By Teddy Nwanunobi
Following Nigeria’s 2-2 draw against Poland in an international friendly match at the Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw on Wednesday, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Comrade Philip Shaibu, has commended the Super Eagles, the technical crew, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye, for what he described as a successful and inspiring outing during the Unity Cup tournament and the international friendly match.
Daily NewsCraft reports that the match was one of two games scheduled for Super Eagles’ tour of Europe in the active international break.
The Super Eagles were without key members of the first team squad including Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen and Ola Aina, who were all declared unavailable for the team for various reasons.
Terem Moffi opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 23rd minute when he tapped home a pass into the six-yard box by Moses Simon. However, Poland equalised through Kacper Potulski inside the first half added minutes.
Both sides kept each other at bay until the 77th minute when Nigeria was awarded a penalty, which Paul Onuachu calmly slotted home to restore Nigeria’s advantage.
The Super Eagles thought they had the victory in the bag already but only for Przemyslaw Wisniewski to level the game for the hosts with a powerful shot from 36 yards out with the last kick of the match.
Overall, it was an impressive performance by Nigeria as the team convincingly controlled the game, with goalkeeper Maduka Oloye also making vital saves in the match.
According to a statement issued by his S. A. Media, Ben Ogbemudia, Shaibu, who was among the distinguished guests at the Nigeria–Poland Football Match Viewing Party held at the VIP Lounge of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, praised the team’s performance, resilience, and determination, noting that the Super Eagles once again demonstrated the talent, fighting spirit, and football quality for which Nigeria is respected globally.
Nigeria will face 2026 FIFA World Cup-bound Portugal in the second friendly game in the European country on June 10. It is Portugal’s farewell match before travelling to the United States.