Simon and Adams strike as Nigeria secure morale-boosting win in Antalya ahead of AFCON 2027 qualifiers.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles stars, Moses Simon and Akor Adams, were on target as the team edged Iran’s Team Melli 2-1 in an international friendly in Antalya, Turkey.

The result marks Nigeria’s second victory in three meetings with the Asian side, with the other encounter ending in a draw.

The match was played at the Corendon Airlines Park and extended the Super Eagles’ unbeaten run in regulation time to eight matches, boosting morale ahead of the AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign.

The Eagles secured the win despite the absence of injured duo Victor Osimhen and Calvin Bassey.

From the first whistle, Samuel Chukwueze proved influential, spotting Simon in space and delivering a precise pass that led to the opening goal in the sixth minute. The strike also marked Simon’s 96th senior cap for Nigeria.

Coach Eric Chelle’s side dominated large stretches of the first half, displaying attacking fluency and control.

At the start of the second half, Chelle introduced debutant Emmanuel Fernandez in place of Semi Ajayi, a tactical change that did little to slow Nigeria’s momentum.

Just six minutes after the restart, Ademola Lookman threaded a clever pass into the path of Adams, who calmly slotted past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.

Another debutant, Chibuike Nwaiwu, came on in the 57th minute to replace Igoh Ogbu in defence following Bassey’s withdrawal.

Iran responded in the 66th minute when Mehdi Taremi capitalised on a lapse in Nigeria’s defence to pull one back, setting up a tense finish.

Coach Chelle reacted with a triple substitution in the 69th minute, withdrawing Chukwueze, Adams and Simon. Frank Onyeka was also introduced later, replacing Lookman, as Nigeria managed the game to its conclusion.

The victory is Nigeria’s second-ever win over Iran, with their only previous triumph coming at the 1998 Carlsberg Cup in Hong Kong, courtesy of a goal by Ahmed Garba. Both teams also met at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where the match ended goalless.

Nigeria’s next outing is another friendly against Jordan on March 31—a side that remains the only Middle Eastern team to have beaten the Super Eagles.