Super Eagles held to draw by Jordan in spirited friendly

Despite taking a halftime lead, Nigeria failed to finish the job on Tuesday as the Super Eagles settled for a 2-2 draw against Jordan to complete their set of March friendlies in Antalya, Türkiye.

Mohammad Al-Dawoud’s finish left the teams sharing the spoils at the Mardan Sports Complex in a match that ended with bad blood between the opponents. Alex Iwobi was sent off in second half stoppage time to end Nigeria’s international break on a sour note.

Facing an opponent that will take part at its first World Cup finals this summer, the Super Eagles will be disappointed with the result while getting a good test from a team that left it all on the pitch.

Defender Emmanuel Fernandez opened his scoring account to complete the first half. The London-born Rangers FC central defender made his debut a few days earlier in a 2-1 victory over Iran.

​Jordan took the lead in the 17th minute through Musa Tamari before Moses Simon equalized for coach Eric Chelle’s side. Fernandez then put the three-time African champions ahead for the first time in the 41st minute, ending the first half 2-1.

However, in the 77th minute, Al-Dawood pulled one back for Jordan to ensure the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

 

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Attention will now turn to preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Group stage fixtures will begin in late September.