Russia Coach Karpin Disputes Chelle’s Tactical Claims After 3–3 Draw With Nigeria
- Russia head coach Valery Karpin pushed back on Eric Chelle's post-match tactical claims after the Super Eagles recovered from 3-1 down to draw 3-3
- Kelechi Iheanacho opened the scoring before Russia took control with three goals, only for Peter Edokpolor and Akor Adams to level late on
- Karpin insisted that Russia's own errors, not any adjustment from the Nigeria bench, led to the dramatic collapse
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Russia head coach Valery Karpin has rejected his Nigerian counterpart Eric Chelle's claim that tactical adjustments in the second half drove the Super Eagles' comeback from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 in their international friendly.
Kelechi Iheanacho gave Nigeria the lead, but Russia turned the match around to lead 3-1. The Super Eagles appeared set to lose before substitute Peter Edokpolor and Akor Adams each found the net deep in the second half to earn a share of the points.
Source: Getty Images
Chelle told journalists at the post-match press conference, cited by the RFS, that he altered his side's attacking approach at half-time and that the change made the difference.
“In the second half, we adjusted our attacking play slightly, and it worked. We managed to score twice in the final minutes to tie the game,” he said.
Karpin downplays Chelle’s tactics
Karpin was blunt in his response during his post-match conference, asking what changes the Nigeria national team manager was talking about.
“What tactical changes? He fielded different players, and that was it. What other tactical changes were there?” he said when asked about Chelle's remarks.
The Russian coach instead pointed to his own side's defensive lapses as the reason the game slipped away.
“It was an accident. Absolutely. The first goal, it was clear what happened. The episode with the third goal was quite strange,” he added.
The 3-3 result was the second time the two nations have met, following a 1-1 draw between them in June 2025.
Chelle admits headache after Russia draw
Legit.ng previously reported that Eric Chelle admitted that some of the U23 players are in his thoughts for the main team after the draw against Russia.
Chelle fielded a youthful side after most of his senior players withdrew due to injury or their clubs' refusal to release them for the game.
Source: Legit.ng
