International Friendly: Nigeria Lucky To Earn Draw – Karpin

International Friendly: Nigeria Lucky To Earn Draw – Karpin

Sampson Adedeji

Russia national team head coach Valery Karpin has claimed that Nigeria was fortunate to come away with a 1-1 draw in their international friendly played on Friday, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Speaking after the match, Karpin expressed his dissatisfaction with the result, insisting that his team dominated the game while the Super Eagles posed little threat.

 "Absolutely everything — from pressing to ball control — was in our ffavour I can’t recall a single dangerous moment from Nigeria, except maybe a mistake during our build-up. Do you remember one? Maybe I’ve just forgotten,” he said.

He added that his side created several clear opportunities, unlike their opponents.

“We had chances — Melekhin after a free kick, Barinov following a run from the back. Nigeria didn’t create any real threats,” he continued.

“Even the goal we conceded wasn’t something they built; there was no real pressure leading up to it.”

Despite the draw, Karpin appeared confident that Russia had the upper hand throughout the contest.