The Super Eagles of Nigeria returned to action on Friday afternoon, claiming a well-deserved 2-1 victory over Iran in an international friendly at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey.

Goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams were all Nigeria needed to grind out the result, Footballrover reports.

Iran vs Nigeria Friendly: Simon Open Scoring Early

It took the Nigerian side just six minutes to assert their dominance. Moses Simon drew first blood, putting Nigeria ahead with a spectacular strike from the edge of the box.

After breezing past his marker, the forward buried his effort into the bottom-left corner. That early goal was enough to hand the Eagles a slim lead heading into the half-time break.

The Super Eagles started the second half on the front foot, but Akor Adams missed a glorious chance to double the lead after being set up by a brilliant Samuel Chukwueze pass.

However, the Sevilla star quickly made amends for the miss. Moments later, he calmly finished off a beautiful assist from Ademola Lookman to make it 2-0.

Iran pulled one back in the 67th minute through Mehdi Taremi, marking their first-ever goal against the three-time AFCON champions. Despite late pressure, Nigeria held on for the win.

Key Takeaways from Super Eagles vs The Iranian Lions clash

Clinical Finishing: Goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams secured the win.

Creative Playmaking: Chukwueze and Lookman both registered assists.

New Faces: Emmanuel Fernandez made his Super Eagles debut, replacing Semi Ajayi at half-time.

Chibuike Nwaiwu also earned his first cap, coming on for Igoh Ogbu in the 57th minute.

Head-to-Head Record: Nigeria has now won two of their last three meetings against Iran, with the other ending in a draw.

Looking Ahead

While Nigeria used this game to rebuild, experiment tactically, and integrate emerging talents after recent World Cup qualification setbacks, the fixture served as crucial preparation for Team Melli ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Buoyed by this result, the Super Eagles will now shift their focus to Tuesday’s fixture against Jordan.

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Last Updated on March 27, 2026 7:28 pm by footballrover