Atletico Madrid defeat Nigeria in friendly

Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria (Team B) 3-2 in an international friendly match at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Tuesday.

Quality goals from Kelechi Nwakali and Usman Mohammed turned out insufficient for a Nigerian victory, as Angel Correa, Fernando Torres and Borja Garces found the back of the net for the 2018 Europa League champions.

Samad Kadiri had forced Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak to a great save as early as three minutes when he beat his marker. This sparked up the Spanish side as Angel Correa was twice denied by goalkeeper Femi Thomas in the space of eight minutes.

Nwakali, who is currently on loan with MVV Maastricht  scored after 32 minutes after beating an Atletico player before unleashing a long-range curler past Oblak. The lead did not last long, as Emem Eduok conceded possession to Thomas Partey who fed Correa. He simply toe-poked past an onrushing goalkeeper Olufemi Thomas.

In the second half, Torres connected to a header from Correa to give the visitors the lead. Nigeria drew level with Mohammed turning an Atletico defender in and out, before shooting to the net.

With five minutes left, Garces ensured Atletico’s victory after he sliced an effort past Thomas.

Speaking after the match, Kelechi Nwakali said “It was a good game. I did not expect this because wen trained actually three days before the match. But we had a good game, and we did well.”