The Super Eagles have arrived in Portugal to begin the final phase of their June international engagements after departing Warsaw, where they played out a 2-2 draw against Poland at the Stadion PGE Narodowy.
A total of 19 players travelled with the team from Poland, while striker Rafiu Durosinmi was excused from the trip to attend to personal matters.
The squad has since been strengthened with the arrival of Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi and Genk defender Christian Akpan in Lisbon, according to Super Eagles media officer Promise Efoghe. Samuel Chukwueze is also expected to join the camp on Friday.
Nigeria will face Portugal on June 10 at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria in what serves as the hosts’ final warm-up match before the FIFA World Cup.
The encounter presents an opportunity for Eric Chelle’s side to gain revenge for the 4-0 defeat they suffered against Portugal in a pre-2022 World Cup friendly. With several key players returning to the squad, the Super Eagles will be aiming to demonstrate their progress since that encounter.
Meanwhile, former Super Eagles goalkeeper John Noble has defended Maduka Okoye following criticism of the late equaliser Nigeria conceded against Poland.
“I’ve watched the video of that particular goal over and over again,” Noble said. “When you are positioned in your post and a shot is taken from long range, those shots often beat goalkeepers because the ball swerves and suddenly changes direction just as it gets close to you.”
Noble explained that the difficulty of dealing with such efforts is often underestimated by supporters.
“In goalkeeping, a tiny slip or a slight movement of the ball can change the entire situation. It is rarely as simple as people think from the outside,” he added.
The Super Eagles are expected to continue preparations in Lisbon ahead of Tuesday’s high-profile test against Portugal as Chelle fine-tunes his squad ahead of future competitive assignments.
