The former Manchester City striker was on the scoresheet as the two Intercontinental giants battled to a thrilling draw.
Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho has reacted to the 2-2 draw between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia in a friendly at the Estadio Municipal de Portimao on Friday night, Soccernet.ng reported.
Iheanacho started on the bench as head coach Jose Peceiro wanted Victor Boniface and Victor Osimhen to lead the Super Eagles attack.
Nigeria created the best chances of the match in the first hour. However, goalkeeper Francis Uzoho missed Salman Al Faraj’s direct free kick and they fell behind by the end of the match.
Iheanacho replaced Samuel Chukwueze five minutes later and the Super Eagles equalized in the 73rd minute with an own goal from Abdulela Al Amri.
The Leicester City striker gave Nigeria the lead in the 81st minute with a brilliant left-footed shot into the top corner from late in the penalty area.
The Super Eagles were unable to hold on for the win but gave Saudi Arabia their share of the spoils as Mohamed Kanno’s deflected free kick went deep into stoppage time.
The draw means Nigeria have not won in their last 15 friendlies, dating back to 2019. This ended the Eagles’ winning streak in all competitions at three, which also included victories over Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe.
After the match, Iheanacho was disappointed that Nigeria could not get the desired victory against Saudi Arabia.
However, the former Manchester City striker was keen to move on to the next game for the Super Eagles.
Iheanacho wrote on Twitter: “It wasn’t the result we wanted. We will learn and focus on the next game.”
Not the result we wanted
We learn and focus on the next game
🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🦅🦅 pic.twitter.com/66U7i5h1Yd— Kelechi Iheanacho (@67Kelechi) October 13, 2023
Nigeria and Mozambique’s next match will be in another friendly in Portugal on Monday 16 October.
