Russia coach Karpin ranks Nigeria’s Super Eagles above Kenya and Zambia after friendly draw

Russia’s head coach, Valery Karpin, has hailed Nigeria's Super Eagles as a superior side compared to Zambia and Kenya following their thrilling 1-1 international friendly in Moscow on Friday night, Soccernet.ng reports.

The match, played at the iconic Luzhniki Stadium, drew record-breaking attendance and marked the first-ever senior international meeting between Russia and Nigeria.

The fixture also brought an end to Russia’s eight-game winning streak, which had included a dominant 5-0 victory over Zambia in March 2025.

Karpin, speaking after the game, admitted that Nigeria posed a greater challenge than several other African nations his team had recently faced — including Kenya and Zambia — whom Russia played and beat in late 2023.

What Karpin said of the Super Eagles 

“They (African teams) are all very athletic, powerful, strong teams,” Karpin said.

“Cameroon and Nigeria are significantly higher in level than Zambia and Kenya. Even the FIFA rating confirms this. They cannot be compared. Nigeria and Cameroon are more interesting.”

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Despite the result, the Russian coach was pleased with his team's performance against a side he clearly respects, noting that Nigeria created few clear-cut chances during the game.

“Absolutely everything: from the pressing to… I can't remember a single moment, except for the mistake during the throw-in. Do you remember? Maybe I just forgot,” Karpin said when asked what stood out positively.

“They didn't create threats for us, but we created moments. Melehin's – after a free kick, Barinov's – after coming out of defense. The goal we conceded can hardly be called created by Nigeria — there wasn't even any pressing there.”

Russia had previously beaten Cameroon 1-0 in October 2023 before drawing 2-2 with Kenya later that month, a result that started their winning momentum until Nigeria once again disrupted their run.