Iran 1-2 Nigeria: No Osimhen no problem as Simon, Adams fire Super Eagles to victory in Turkey

Goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams fired the Super Eagles of Nigeria to a 2-1 win over Iran at the Corendon Airlines Park on Friday, Afrik-Foot reports.

Nigeria returned to action for their first game since AFCON 2025 with a friendly fixture against Iran. Going into the game, coach Eric Chelle was without some of his best legs, as Victor Osimhen, Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, and Stanley Nwabali were unavailable.

Nonetheless, a decent performance was still expected due to their brilliant showing at the AFCON in January. And they did deliver under the searing sun and the almost empty Corendon Airlines Park.

Your #SuperEagles squad to face Iran.#IRNNGA #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/6KrUrrXbXR

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) March 27, 2026

Moses Simon opened the scoring after just five minutes. The build-up to the goal was brilliant: Chukwueze had a nice interchange of passes with Wilfred Ndidi in the middle of the park, then drove forward and sprayed a pass to Simon, who was running at goal.

​The Paris FC man showed some beautiful footwork to get past his man, cut into the area, and struck a low pelter that nestled in the bottom-left corner of Iran’s goal, making it 1-0.

FT: Iran 1-2 Nigeria
Moses Simon and Akor Adams with the goals for Nigeria.

Up next is another friendly game against Jordan in four days.

pic.twitter.com/W5LKk2CaS3

— Fisayo Dairo (@FisayoDairo) March 27, 2026

​After going a goal down, the Iranians started pushing for an equalizer, but the Nigerian defense held on tightly. They were nearly caught out in the 15th minute, however. Team Melli had an opportunity after Osayi-Samuel failed to keep his man at bay. A cross from the right side of Iran’s attack found Taremi after a poor clearance from Ogbu. Fortunately for the Super Eagles, the Inter Milan man struck the ball high and wide.

​A sweet chance fell to Akor Adams in the 33rd minute, and it all started with Iwobi. He found Chukwueze with a beautiful diagonal pass in the middle of the park. The winger pushed the ball forward a little before laying it off to Akor Adams, who was running at goal.

​The Sevilla man shrugged off his marker and pushed the ball beyond the goalkeeper, but his chipped effort could only find the side-netting. After that situation, goalscoring opportunities became rarer, as both teams battled it out in the middle of the park. Eventually, the Super Eagles took their lead into the break.

​At the start of the second half, a big opportunity fell to Iran after Taremi beat Nigeria’s offside trap. He ran through on goal from the halfway line and looked destined to score. However, Ogbu did not give up on the play and ran to put in a tackle. Taremi fell to the floor immediately after he felt contact, but the referee did not listen to his pleas for a penalty and whistled for a goal kick instead.

​Just two minutes after that, Lookman tried to threaten the goalkeeper from outside the box, but his effort drifted wide and went out for a goal kick.

​In the 51st minute, Nigeria scored their second, and Lookman was the creator. He received a pass from midfield and ran to the front of the area; despite the traffic in front of the box, he eked out a through pass to locate Adams. The Sevilla star made no mistake as he got the better of his marker and prodded the ball below the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 after 51 minutes.

​Five minutes later, Nigeria suffered a blow as Ogbu sustained an injury and had to be replaced by Chibuike Nwaiwu for his debut. His entry into the game coincided with Team Melli gaining momentum. They started looking a bit more bold and expressive in attack, and in the 66th minute, they got their goal.

​After a corner from the right, Team Melli capitalized on a lapse in concentration from the Super Eagles’ backline. The cross first met an Iranian head, but the effort only rattled the crossbar. However, the rebound fell to Taremi, who scrambled the ball into the net to make it 2-1 after 66 minutes.

Iran had the momentum and kept pressing for an equalizer, but Nigeria soon regained their footing.

​Onuachu was introduced in the 68th minute and made his presence felt just three minutes later. The Trabzonspor forward pounced on a cross from Bruno Onyemaechi and steered a header goalward, but his effort was well saved by the goalkeeper.

​Two minutes later, Nigerian fans had their hearts in their mouths after Taremi intercepted a pass from Nwaiwu in front of the box, creating a one-on-one with Maduka Okoye. However, before he could finish the play, the referee whistled for a handball.

​The closing embers of the game were nervy for both teams, but the Super Eagles held their own to ensure the match ended 2-1 after 90 minutes.

What’s Next For Nigeria’s Super Eagles?

With the game against Iran done and dusted, Nigeria’s Super Eagles will now move their focus to their friendly gane against Jordan.

The game will be played at the Mardan Antalysapor on Tuesday, March 31. Coach Eric Chelle will be hoping to get the victory from that game and maintain the momentum.