Iran Coach Sends Message to Nigeria After Super Eagles Beat Team Melli in Antalya
- Iran head coach Amir Ghaleonei sent a message to Nigeria after both sides faced off in a friendly match in Antalya
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Team Melli of Iran in a friendly match at Corendon Airlines Park
- Moses Simon and Akor Adams scored for Nigeria, while captain and striker Mehdi Taremi scored for Iran
Iranian head coach Amir Ghaleonei has sent a message to Nigeria after their friendly match at Corendon Airlines Park in Antalya, Turkiye, on March 27, 2026.
The two nations faced off in a four-nation invitational tournament, which also involved the senior national teams of Jordan and Costa Rica.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles defeated Team Melli 2-1 thanks to goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams, while Mehdi Taremi pulled one back for the Middle Easterners.
As noted by the NFF, it was Nigeria’s second victory over Iran, since beating the Gulf country 1-0 in the Carlsberg Cup in Hong Kong in 1998. The last encounter in 2014 ended in a draw.
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Iran coach sends message to Nigeria
Iran's head coach, Amir Ghaleonei, applauded the Super Eagles for a great game and described it as a useful preparation game for Team Melli.
“I think this was a very useful preparation game, especially since we were able to implement Plan B in defence against a strong and physical team like Nigeria,” he told Tasnim News Agency, via ANS.
“Nigeria was a very good team, and all eleven players on this team play in major European leagues such as Spain, Italy, England, France, Greece and Turkey.”
“The national team needs such games. We also tried to use more players. Fortunately, with the new rules and the possibility of making eight substitutions, we had a good opportunity to evaluate different players.”
Nigeria will face Jordan in their second match, while Iran will face Costa Rica, both of which will come up on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
Iran is heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt, while Nigeria did not qualify.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles had multiple opportunities to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but fluffed it; they remained in contention through legal means.
Chelle steered Nigeria’s World Cup campaign to the African playoff spot after a poor start of three points from four matches under Jose Peseiro and Finidi George.
Nigeria lost the playoff to DR Congo, but the NFF submitted a petition to FIFA challenging the eligibility of some Congolese players.
FIFA dismissed the petition, but the NFF headed for the Court of Arbitration for Sports to challenge FIFA’s decision as they keep hope alive for a spot in USA, Mexico and Canada.
DR Congo will face Jamaica in the final of the intercontinental playoff after the Reggae Boyz defeated North Caledonia in the semi-final.
Key actions from Nigeria’s win over Iran
Legit.ng previously analysed the key actions from Nigeria’s win over Iran after Eric Chelle named a strong squad to face Team Melli in Antalya, Turkiye.
The manager handed debuts to two newly-invited players, Chibuike Nwaiwu and Emmanuel Fernandez, while others await their chance against Jordan.
Source: Legit.ng
