Russia vs Nigeria

Russia and Nigeria served up a six-goal thriller in Nizhny Novgorod, with the Super Eagles twice fighting back from a goal down before snatching a 3-3 draw deep into stoppage time. The host nation looked to be cruising after taking a two-goal cushion in the second half, but Nigeria refused to fold and completed a dramatic late rally. Kelechi Iheanacho opened the scoring in the 10th minute, only for Russia to hit back through Lechi Sadulaev (30') and Matvey Kislyak just before the break. Aleksei Miranchuk made it 3-1 early in the second half, putting the hosts firmly in control. Nigeria pulled one back through Edokpolor in the 78th minute, before substitute Akor Adams curled home a stoppage-time equaliser, finishing off a pass from young playmaker Umar Abubakar. No cards or penalties were needed in an otherwise end-to-end contest. For Russia, who had arrived off the back of a 6-0 rout of Namibia, this was a missed chance to make it back-to-back wins despite dominating possession and shots. For Nigeria, fielding a much-changed side under Eric Chelle, the comeback offered genuine encouragement after a bruising 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in their previous outing, with several fringe players staking a claim ahead of November's AFCON qualifiers.