Portugal claimed a 2-1 victory over the Super Eagles Nigeria in their final preparatory match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday night.
Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle set his side up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Maduka Okoye in goal.
The back four featured Bruno Onyemaechi, debutant Christian Akpan, Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi. Wilfred Ndidi captained the side in midfield alongside Tochukwu Nnadi and Alex Iwobi, who made his 100th appearance for Nigeria. Up front, Jerome Akor led the attack, supported by Moses Simon and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
Portugal started brightly and threatened after only two minutes when Francisco Trincão raced onto a pass down the right flank. However, Okoye reacted quickly to clear the danger. Moments later, Cristiano Ronaldo tried his luck from 25 yards, but his effort sailed comfortably over the crossbar.
The Super Eagles responded in the sixth minute and won the first corner of the contest. The delivery eventually fell to Bassey, whose curling effort was easily gathered by Diogo Costa. Although the shot lacked power, the move highlighted Nigeria’s willingness to attack.
Portugal came close again in the eighth minute. Ronaldo was released through on goal by Nélson Semedo but surprisingly dragged his effort wide of the near post when it appeared easier to score. Nigeria immediately broke forward at the other end, with Akor firing narrowly wide of Costa’s post.
The breakthrough arrived in the 23rd minute. Diogo Dalot controlled a cross field pass and spotted Pedro Neto unmarked inside the penalty area. Instead of picking out Ronaldo, Dalot found the Chelsea winger, who calmly fired into the far corner to put Portugal ahead.
Roberto Martínez’s side continued to press. Bruno Fernandes tested Maduka Okoye with a powerful strike in the 32nd minute, forcing the Nigerian goalkeeper into a sharp save. Ronaldo then headed wide from the resulting corner as Portugal searched for a second goal.
Nigeria found their equaliser in the 37th minute through an excellent piece of attacking play from Akor. A long ball from deep saw the striker hold off Rúben Dias before exchanging passes with Dele-Bashiru. Akor then showed great composure to slot the ball through Costa’s legs to make it 1-1.
Portugal controlled possession for much of the remainder of the first half. However, the Super Eagles remained dangerous on the counterattack and repeatedly created three on three situations whenever possession changed hands. The teams eventually went into the break level after an entertaining opening 45 minutes.
Martínez made nine changes at halftime, and the fresh legs quickly made an impact. In the 49th minute, João Félix forced Okoye into an excellent save with a long range effort. The forward then struck the crossbar moments later following the resulting corner.
Eric Chelle also refreshed his team on the hour mark. Abdullahi Bewene, Frank Onyeka, Zaidu Sanusi, Terem Moffi and Raphael Onyedika entered the game, replacing Dele-Bashiru, Ajayi, Simon, Ndidi and Akpan.
Portugal continued to push forward, while Ronaldo received a standing ovation in the 64th minute when he was replaced by Gonçalo Ramos.
The decisive moment came in the 75th minute. Francisco Conceição collected possession on the right edge of the Nigerian penalty area, cut inside onto his stronger left foot and unleashed a superb strike into the far corner. Okoye had no chance as Portugal restored their lead.
Nigeria searched for another equaliser, but Portugal remained dangerous. In the 84th minute, substitute Samu Costa struck a powerful effort from distance that once again required a fine save from Okoye.
Despite a spirited display from the Super Eagles, Portugal held on for victory and completed their World Cup preparations with back to back wins. Pedro Neto opened the scoring before Akor cancelled out the advantage, but Conceição’s brilliant second half strike ultimately secured the result for the hosts.
Portugal will now turn their attention to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they have been drawn alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia. Their campaign begins against DR Congo on June 17.
Nigeria, meanwhile, will take positives from another competitive performance despite the defeat. The Super Eagles missed out on qualification for the World Cup after losing to DR Congo in the African playoff final.
