Honestly, the Russia vs Nigeria football match ending in a draw wasn't super shocking to me. I mean, if you look at both teams lately, neither one has been overly dominant or terrible—they've both had ups and downs. Nigeria’s been showing a lot of fight in their games, and I read that Tolu Arokodare scored on his debut for the Super Eagles, which is a cool story. Russia isn't exactly crushing everyone either, so a 1-1 score feels about fair.

What’s interesting is people usually expect Russia to win at home, especially in a friendly, but Nigeria’s got some really hungry, young players who aren’t scared to go for it. Friendlies are kind of weird to predict too, because teams like to test new players and try out different tactics, so anything can happen. In my opinion, neither side was going to go super hard and risk injuries before more important matches, so settling for a draw makes sense. And honestly, these games are more about learning and getting ready for actual competitions. I think both sides got what they wanted out of it!

If you watched, let me know who you thought was man of the match!