Portugal vs Nigeria LIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo's Side Play Final Warm-Up Match Before 2026 World Cup
HT: Portugal 1-1 Nigeria
43 min: The tide has turned in Nigeria’s favour since Adams’ superbly taken opener, with the Super Eagles growing in confidence and control.
45 min: The referee signals three additional minutes. Portugal push forward in search of a response before the interval, but Nigeria remain compact and disciplined at the back.
45+1 min: Portugal patiently circulate possession through midfield, stringing together crisp one-touch passes. Semedo is released down the right flank and delivers a teasing cross, but Maduka Okoye is alert once again, confidently gathering to deny Portugal any reward.
45+2 min: Nigeria win a corner from sustained pressure. Portugal clears the initial danger, but the attack is recycled to the right side. A promising through ball follows, yet the flag goes up – Akor Adams is ruled offside, cutting short what looked like a dangerous Super Eagles surge before the break.
45+3 min: Portugal break forward in transition and fashion a half-chance of their own, only for the assistant’s flag to intervene once more. The referee signals the end of a competitive first half, with both sides heading into the interval level after an engaging spell of football.
Half-time in Leiria: All square at the break
It’s level at the interval after an entertaining first half in which both sides had their moments. Neto opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a composed finish, but Nigeria responded well and deservedly drew level through Adams in the 37th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo has come close on a couple of occasions but remains without a breakthrough. The question now is whether he will return for the second half and whether Nigeria can emulate Ivory Coast’s famous fightback against France.
All to play for in the next 45 minutes.
Portugal 1-1 Nigeria. Super Eagles find an equaliser
33 min: A free kick for Portugal, and Maduka Okoye shows off his reflexes. The Nigerian shot-stopper prevents Bruno Fernandes from doubling Portugal's lead after the Man United captain's sweet volley was parried away by Okoye.
34 min: The resultant corner kick was bent in sweetly, but Ronaldo, of all people, is guilty of missing another opportunity. The all-time international scorer expertly met the cross but saw his header go just over the bar as Nigeria gets a goal kick. This is Ronaldo's second attempt at goal.
35 min: Nigeria is working the ball pretty well. Force the ball into the opposition half, but Portugal clear their lines and turn over into attack. Trincao hit his effort, but the ball blazes just over the bar. It seems the goalkeeper had a hand to the ball, but the referee whistles for a goal kick.
38 min: Nigeria equalises. A schoolboy defending from Portugal is punished by Akor Adams. It started from dodgy defending from Ignacio after Okoye's long goal kick. The defender slipped and allowed Fisayo Dele-Bashiru to steal a march on his opponent. He slipped the ball into the path of Adams, who drove the ball through the legs of Costa to level the score. Portugal 1-1 Nigeria.
40 min: Portugal will be disappointed with the scoreline, especially after going close on multiple occasions. But it counts for nothing. They have to now find a way to get past their counterparts from West Africa once again.
Pedro Neto scores as Portugal breaks the deadlock
23 min: Portugal have finally broken the game's deadlock. A swift build-up saw Joao Neves release Diogo Dalot, who teed up Pedro Neto in the box, and the Chelsea attacker brought the ball onto his favourite left foot and hit a low grounder which goalkeeper Maduka Okoye could not save. That was Neto's first goal in four months.
25 min: There is a cooling break almost immediately after Neto’s goal, giving both technical areas a brief pause in the action. The coaches seize the moment to step forward and relay fresh tactical instructions to their players.
28 min: Referee Busquets whistles for the game to resume. Portugal start off from where they left off – dominating possession.
29 min: Vitinha releases Dalot on the flank again, and the Man United star gallops on the flank. He repeats the same trick by teeing off a teammate, but a timely intervention sees the opportunity snuffed out. But the assistant referee has his flag raised for offside.
30 min: Half an hour into the game, and the game is still tight despite Portugal leading by a Neto strike.
Nigeria keeps Portugal at bay
13 min: The West Africans are growing in confidence! Wilfred Ndidi receives the ball and hits a speculative effort from range, but his effort goes sky high, not bothering Costa in post.
15 min: Nigeria's attempt to carve out the Portuguese defence proves abortive as the attack is dealt with. Portugal then hits a quick counter, but one touch too many sees the opportunity die down.
16 min: The Super Eagles transit swiftly. But Moses Simon delayed in the box, and just as they dealt with Portugal's attack, theirs had been handled brilliantly.
18 min: Surely Portugal would have to dig deep if they wanted to beat Nigeria. Pedro Neto's attempt to dribble past his marker has been easily dealt with, as the Chelsea attacker is stopped in his tracks.
20 min: It has been a keenly contested affair so far with Nigeria holding their more star-studded opponents, forcing the Selecao to go back.
Portugal vs Nigeria: Match starts
Hello and welcome to our live coverage as Portugal and Nigeria renew acquaintances for only the second time in four years.
Roberto Martínez's men will be eager to build momentum and set the tone for what they hope will be a successful 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Referee Mateo Busquets blows his whistle to get us underway, and it's Portugal that sets the game in motion.
2 min: Portugal knocking the ball around quickly. A long ball is sent in for Pedro Neto to chase, but Maduka Okoye steps in to clear the lines. A sweet exchange between Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammate sees the Al-Nassr superstar sky his effort way off the mark.
3 min: The reigning UEFA Nations League winners look comfortable and ready to set the tempo of the match. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa definitely has ice running through his veins as he expertly dribbles the onrushing Nigeria attacker to douse the press from the Super Eagles.
5 min: Nigeria making things difficult for the hosts as they close down most of the passing lanes, forcing Roberto Martinez's men to recycle possession by going back to restart play.
7 min: A quick corner taken by Nigeria sees Calvin Bassey make an attempt from the edge of the box, but his effort is not strong enough to trouble Costa in goal for Portugal as the FC Porto goalkeeper easily saves the attempt.
8 min: What a chance. What a miss! Cristiano Ronaldo was put through on goal by Nelson Semedo, but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner drags his effort wide. He could have extended his goal count to 974 but spurned the opportunity.
10 min: Nigeria themselves are not overwhelmed by the occasion. Akor Adams makes his way into the box after an excellent piece of trickery, but his effort goes off the mark.
