• Poland’s Coach: ‘We played well against a strong team’

Super Eagles Captain Wilfred Ndidi believes Nigeria will do better against Portugal in their next international friendly game than they did against Poland, in Warsaw, on Wednesday.
 
Poland held Nigeria to a 2-2 draw in the first of the two June friendlies, with the Poles’ equaliser coming late into the game.
 
Ndidi blamed the draw on the late arrival of players for the game, saying that the Super Eagles dominated the first half before becoming more cautious after the break.
 
Ndidi was the only player in Nigeria’s starting XI who also featured when the Super Eagles defeated Poland 1-0 in Wroclaw in the build-up to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
 
Speaking after the game, Ndidi said:  “We dominated the game. The first half was an amazing game, and the second half we tried to sit back a bit, to defend a bit and then press. Entirely, it was a good game.
  
“We always try as much as possible to get a win in every game. With our philosophy, with our vision and most importantly, to try and give a good game, try to be at our best and try to see if we win the game.”
 
Nigeria led the game on two occasions, but the Poles rallied to get even on both occasions.
 
Also speaking on the game, Coach Eric Chelle, who made seven changes in the second half, said that he had to bring in fresh legs when he discovered that several players were struggling physically.
 
Nigeria opened the scores in the first half through Terem Moffi, but Kacper Potulski restored parity for the hosts.
 
Paul Onuachu appeared to have won it for the Eagles when he converted a 77th-minute penalty, but Przemysław Wiśniewski cancelled Nigeria’s advantage with a stunning stoppage-time strike.
 
Explaining his decision to bring in Semi Ajayi, Zaidu Sanusi, Paul Onuachu, Calvin Bassey, Raphael Onyedika, Rafiu Durosinmi and Philip Otele in place of Emmanuel Fernandez, Bruno Onyemaechi, Terem Moffi, Igoh Ogbu, Frank Onyeka, Tochukwu Nnadi and Akor Adams in the second half, Chelle said that many of the players were off form following the end of the season.
 
“They were already on vacation. That’s why I made seven changes at halftime. Our captain usually does a lot more on the pitch, but after 60 minutes, he was practically gone,” Chelle said.
 
Nigeria will face Portugal on June 10 before the players embark on their holidays.
 
Meanwhile, Poland Coach, Jan Urban, has praised Nigeria for giving his side a good fight, saying that the Super Eagles once again proved how good they are.
 
Urban blamed his side’s mistakes for the draw, which came a few days after their 0-2 loss to Ukraine in an earlier game.
   
“The scenario from the previous matches repeated itself – we played, the opponent scored. But I wasn’t concerned because we played well.
 
“It was a good match against a good team. That goal could have been easily prevented. Up until that point, only Kamil Grabara’s clearance created a dangerous situation.”
 
Urban admitted he was frustrated by how easily Nigeria converted their chances but insisted the overall display gave him plenty of encouragement ahead of future competitive fixtures.
 
“I know how everyone should react in this situation. Never mind the names. The worst thing is that the opponent doesn’t create countless chances and takes only two or three. They’re very cruel to us. But these are friendly matches; they won’t judge us for them,” he said.