By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez admitted his side were pushed hard by the Super Eagles despite securing a 2-1 victory in their final warm-up game ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Prompt News Online reports.
The former Belgium manager praised Nigeria’s intensity and quality, describing the encounter as a stern test for his team.
“Nigeria gave us a very difficult game. They are a strong, organised side with a lot of quality and physicality,” Martínez said after the match.
“We created several chances and controlled large spells of the game, but they made things very challenging for us. It was exactly the kind of test we needed before the World Cup, and I am pleased with the way the players responded.”
Martínez also expressed satisfaction with his team’s overall performance, particularly their resilience in finding a winning goal after Nigeria had fought back to level the score before half-time.
“We had an individual plan for everyone. We managed to achieve that. It was the right opponent. A team very similar to Congo, with physical strength, the ability to exploit spaces. As a test it was very good, we can rotate eleven players and win the game. It shows the attitude of our group and I’m very satisfied with what we did in the two games,” he added.
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