Portugal End England’s 12‑Match Unbeaten Streak with Ronaldo‑Led 1‑0 Victory

Duro Ikhazuagbe

World Cup‑bound Portugal ended the Super Eagles’ 12‑match unbeaten streak after a 2‑1 victory in a final warm‑up game in Leira.

Ranked fifth in the world and featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, the Seleção das Quinas took the lead 23 minutes in when Chelsea star Pedro Neto fired a close‑range shot past Nigeria keeper Maduka Okoye.

Nigeria, ranked 21 places below Portugal, equalised 39 minutes in through Jerome Akor, who received an assist from Fisayo Dele‑Bashiru. Portugal’s winner came in the 75th minute when substitute Francisco Conceição scored.

Portugal will open their 2026 World Cup campaign on Wednesday against DR Congo, who eliminated Nigeria from qualification via penalty shoot‑outs last November.

On the day Alex Iwobi earned his 100th cap for Nigeria, the Portuguese side left no room for celebrations for the former Arsenal star.

Just before kick‑off, National Sports Commission Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko and NFF Executive Committee member Sharif Rabiu Inuwa presented a framed shirt to Iwobi to mark his milestone appearance for the Super Eagles.

Ronaldo, one of the greatest players ever, led the Seleção das Quinas onto the pitch at Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, but the home team and crowd soon realised the three‑time African champions were not there to be dazzled.

Ronaldo missed a chance in the 9th minute, while Akor Adams also missed a wide shot at the other end.

Neto’s goal came after a pass from Diogo Dalot, with the ball steered past Okoye from close range.

Ten minutes later, Okoye made a spectacular save from Bruno Fernandes, and a minute after, Ronaldo missed another opportunity.

Nigeria pressed on. Akor contested an aerial ball near the centre circle, tipped it away from two Portuguese defenders, then ran to his left to receive a delivery from Dele‑Bashiru and fired past Diogo Costa for Nigeria’s equaliser with 37 minutes gone.

In the second half, Okoye made a double save from João Félix in the 48th and 49th minutes. Ronaldo continued to look for a goal but failed to connect from a cross in the 50th minute.

At the hour, Coach Éric Chelle made several changes, bringing in Abdullahi Bewene, Zaidu Sanusi, Terem Moffi, Raphael Onyedika and Frank Onyeka. The fresh lineup seemed to rejuvenate Nigeria, and they pushed forward with renewed energy as Ronaldo exited in the 65th minute without the goal he sought.

With 15 minutes remaining, Conceição scored the winner for the das Quinas, cutting in from the right and finding a gap in Okoye’s sight.

The defeat was only the second in regulation time for Coach Chelle after leading the Super Eagles in 25 matches over the past 15 months.