Adedokun Waliyu 
The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Monday edged the Mambas of Mozambique 3-2 in an international friendly played at the Estadio Municipal de Albufeira, Portugal.
Before Monday’s victory, the Super Eagles had played more than a dozen friendly matches, which they either lost or drew.
The game against the Mambas started on a sloppy note for the Eagles as they fell behind just six minutes later.
Geny Catamo broke the deadlock for the Mambas when he pounced on a square ball in the Ngeria box before firing past the helpless Francis Uzoho.
After the early goal, the Super Eagles stepped up the tempo as they sought a quick comeback into the game.
In the 13th minute, Moses Simon tried delivering a cross to Terem Moffi but the Mambas were quick to thwart the ambitious plan.
The petite Nantes man continued threatening the Mambas from the left flank as the Super Eagles kept piling the pressure in their search for an equaliser
The pressure by the Super Eagles finally paid off in the 19th minute as Moffi sent the ball into the net after Raphael Onyedika’s initial shot was saved by the Mozambique goalkeeper.
Just before the half-hour mark, Frank Onyeka gave Nigeria the lead after benefitting from some nice play by Joe Aribo on the right flank.
After falling behind, Mozambique’s bad day worsened as they were reduced to ten men.
Edmilson Dove received the marching orders from the referee after he fouled Aribo as he was running through on goal.
The referee had no option but to send him for an early shower as he was the last man.
It didn’t take too long before the Super Eagles made their numerical advantage count.
Just before the end of the first half, the Super Eagles were awarded a penalty kick expertly converted by the lively Moses Simon which ensured Jose Peseiro’s men had a 3-1 cushion at halftime.
The same way the Mambas had the brighter start in the first half, they got off to a flying start in the second, pulling one goal back in the 55th minute through Faisal Bangal.
Coach Peseiro made a series of changes to his team, bringing in Sadiq Umar, Ademola Lookman, and Chidozie Awaziem for Onyedika, Dele-Bashiru, and Omeruo
At another point, the Portuguese gaffer threw the trio of Alex Iwobi, Victor Boniface, and Calving Bassey into the game.
Though the Super Eagles finished strongly with a handful of chances, they could not add any more goals to their tally as they held on to the slim 3-2 win over the 10-man Mozambiquan team.
With the friendlies now over, the Super Eagles will switch to business mode as they start in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series with a double-header against Lesotho and Zimbabwe next month.
