Friendly: Portugal edge past Nigeria, Conceicao gets them out of jail
Portugal had to work harder than expected to finish their build-up. On Wednesday night, the Selecao beat Nigeria 2-1 in their final game before the World Cup, after being held for long spells by a Super Eagles side that offered little invention but took their chance when it came. Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after a sharp Trincao-Dalot move, before Akor Adams levelled somewhat fortuitously in the 37th minute. It took a Francisco Conceicao stunner in the 75th minute to settle it. The Real Madrid winger cut inside onto his left foot from the right flank and lashed a perfect strike into the Nigeria net.
In 2022, Portugal had blown this same Nigeria side away 4-0 in World Cup warm-up duty before Qatar. Four years on, the win is far more hard-earned, and it comes off the back of the same 2-1 scoreline against Chile last Saturday. It’s a decent enough prep, if not a dazzling one, for a Selecao side who will line up in Group K with Colombia, Uzbekistan and DR Congo. On paper, they are opponents Portugal should handle. This is still one of the teams fancied to go deep.
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Conceicao the difference as Portugal head to the World Cup ready enough
The bright spot on the night was Francisco Conceicao, who produced a classy finish to back up his growing influence. Sergio Conceicao’s son is steadily becoming one of the most important pieces in the Portugal set-up, the sort of player who can flip a tight game on one flash of quality. That’s exactly what a side chasing the world title needs.
Portugal open their World Cup campaign in the coming days with the target of landing a first global crown. Cristiano Ronaldo and his team-mates have ended their preparation with back-to-back wins, even if neither performance screamed perfection. But at a World Cup, results matter. The warm-up games are just noise. The Selecao know that better than most.
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