Interim coach Salisu Yusuf led the Super Eagles to their second win in as many games as they defeated Luxembourg 3-1 on Tuesday at the Stade Josy Barthel in a friendly match.
Three goals from Brown Ideye, Kelechi Iheanacho and Odion Ighalo took the shine off the lone strike from Thill Vincent for the Luxembourgers.
The match was the second in five days for the Eagles after they defeated Mali 1-0 in France before heading to Luxembourg on Sunday. Nigeria are preparing for the 2016 World Cup qualifiers after failing to qualify for the 2018 Africa Cup of Nations.
Yusuf made six changes to the team which started against Mali bringing on goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi in place of Carl Ikeme. Leon Balogun gave way for Kenneth Omeruo while Elderson Echiejile was preferred at left-back. Brown Ideye and Umar Aminu also started while Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored the winner against Mali, also started ahead of Ighalo.
Nigeria got the first chance of the game in the second minute but Ideye's shot went wide. The Eagles dominated play and deservedly went ahead of the Luxembourgers through Ideye in the 36th minute. Aminu went past two defenders before he set up stand-in captain, Ogenyi Onazi, whose shot from outside the penalty area was parried by the hosts keeper but a lurking Ideye tucked in the rebound for his first goal for the national team in three years.
The Eagles continued their dominance of the game and kept their opponents at bay with good positional play. Aminu, Iheanacho and Arsenal forward, Alex Iwobi, all had chances in the first half but could not increase the tally for Nigeria.
Luxembourg came out attacking in the second half but still hardly troubled the Eagles defence. In the 55th minute, Yusuf brought on Babatunde Michael for Iwobi and Simon Moses for Aminu while Wilfred Ndidi came on for Abdullahi Shehu and Raheem Lawal for Onazi in the 64th minute.
The substitutions paid off as Iheanacho extended the Eagles' lead in the 69th minute. Luxembourg striker Thill reduced the tally in the 90th minute after Omeruo slipped but substitute Ighalo restored the two-goal lead when he grabbed the Eagles third in added time.
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