By Ezeana Emmanuel
Wilfred Ndidi walked off in Warsaw Wednesday night insisting Nigeria dominated. Hard to argue with the captain. Hard to fully agree with him too.
The Super Eagles drew 2-2 with Poland in a friendly at PGE Narodowy Stadium, going ahead twice only to be pulled back twice. The second equaliser came deep into additional time, a powerful long-range strike from Przemyslaw Wisniewski that beat Maduka Okoye and erased what had looked like a hard-earned victory.
Ndidi played the full 90 on his return to the XI and was blunt after the game.
“We dominated the game,” he said. “First half was an amazing game and second half we tried to sit back a bit, to defend a bit and then press. Entirely, it was a good game.”
He’s right about the first half. Nigeria came out with intent, made chances early, and took the lead when Ndidi burst forward from midfield, opened space for Moses Simon, whose low cross was tapped in by Terem Moffi. Okoye made a few big saves at the other end, but for long spells the Eagles looked the better side.
The issue is what followed. A defensive slip right at the end of first-half stoppage time let 18-year-old Kacper Potulski equalize from close range. A controlled game suddenly became a fight. Nigeria went back in front in the 80th minute through a Paul Onuachu penalty after VAR spotted handball, and once again looked set to close it out.
They didn’t. Okoye, who had been sharp all evening including a fine save to deny Robert Lewandowski, could do nothing about Wisniewski’s late strike. Another lead dropped. Another draw.
That’s the problem with Ndidi’s “dominated” claim. In football, domination isn’t just ball control or chances created. It’s turning that control into three points. A team that leads twice and still doesn’t win hasn’t dominated, not completely. They’ve owned parts of the game while leaving the door ajar when it matters most.
To be fair, Ndidi’s read isn’t wrong. Nigeria were better for long stretches against a strong European side, and they did it without Victor Osimhen or Ademola Lookman. That counts for something. But the Super Eagles keep conceding late goals that snatch away wins they’ve worked for, and no amount of midfield control changes the final score.
Eric Chelle’s unbeaten run is now 23 games.
