Nigeria Draw Jordan 2-2 in Feisty Friendly Clash
The Super Eagles were forced to a 2-2 draw by Jordan in their final international friendly of the March window on Tuesday night, with substitute Alex Iwobi shown a straight red card in the closing stages at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey .
Jordan, who are preparing for their debut appearance at the 2026 World Cup in North America, took the lead in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. The goal came from a well-worked free-kick routine, with the winger finishing after a delivery from Noor Al-Rawabdeh to beat goalkeeper Francis Uzoho .
Nigeria thought they had drawn level six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika converted a cut-back from Moses Simon, but the strike was ruled out by the match officials . The equaliser eventually arrived in the 30th minute, with captain for the night Moses Simon reacting quickest after Ademola Lookman’s initial effort was blocked. The Paris FC forward slotted home with a left-footed finish, marking his second goal in as many games .
The turnaround was completed four minutes before the interval. Bright Osayi-Samuel delivered a pinpoint cross that found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed composure to control and fire a left-footed strike into the net. The Glasgow Rangers defender was making his first start for Nigeria after coming off the bench against Iran three days earlier .
The second half took a physical turn, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute following a clearance, making way for Adebayo Adeleye . Head coach Eric Chelle introduced veterans Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi for Yira Sor and Raphael Onyedika to consolidate the midfield. For Iwobi, the substitution marked his 98th cap for Nigeria .
Jordan’s persistence paid off in the 77th minute when substitute Mohammad Al-Daoud, who had been on the pitch for just two minutes, finished from close range following a precise cross from Al-Rawabdeh to make it 2-2 .
In a final push for victory, Nigeria handed a senior debut to Philip Otele, who replaced Frank Onyeka, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Simon . The closing stages were marred by tension, resulting in a straight red card for Alex Iwobi for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second minute of stoppage time .
The result means Nigeria finished their four-nation invitational tournament with four points from two matches, enough to secure top spot ahead of Iran, who finished with three points. Jordan ended with one point .