Scotland 2 Nigeria 2 match report: Nwofor undoes Scotland's hope of victory with late goal

The game was played out at Fulham's Craven Cottage

Simon Peach
Thursday 29 May 2014 12:24 BST
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Nigeria striker Uche Nwofor celebrates scoring his team's second goal
Nigeria striker Uche Nwofor celebrates scoring his team's second goal

Scotland suffered a last-gasp sucker-punch as substitute Uche Nwofor struck to save World Cup-bound Nigeria’s blushes.

The Tartan Army will be jealous onlookers again this summer, but their performance in this 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage will lift spirits ahead of the European Championship qualifying campaign.

Talk of alleged match-fixing dominated the build-up but no-one would have been able to foresee many of the goals, with Charlie Mulgrew opening the scoring after 10 minutes with an intelligent, if fluky, flick before Michael Uchebo levelled.

Azubuike Egwuekwe directed past his own goalkeeper to put Scotland back in the driving seat, only for substitute Nwofor to eke out a late leveller.

Scotland’s opener came thanks to a mixture of quick-thinking and luck on Mulgrew’s behalf and Nigeria caught their opponents cold just before the break with a lucky goal of their own, Uchebo’s 25-yard strike deflecting in off Hanley.

But in the 52nd minute Nigeria’s woeful defending saw them again fall behind when Egwuekwe directed past his own goalkeeper under pressure from Morrison.

It was a farcical goal, made even more comedic but Odunlami’s failed goal-line clearance.

And late on Nwofor missed two headers before finally hitting the net to steal a draw.

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