International Friendlies Rundown: What Happens When Enemies Play Friendly Matches...

These country friendly matches aren't friendly at all!  This week we get to enjoy some country football matches, and some of them have been quite a thrill. Portugal playing against Sweden was one match that was crazy-tensed; it was one of those matches where the final scoreline doesn't justify how close the match was. Both teams had 13 shots at goal, similar level of pass accuracy with zero cards received, but yet the match ended 5-2.  

Russia vs. Serbia

Another really interesting friendly matchup was Russia vs. Serbia. This match has some very strange history leading to it. Before the match, these two countries had played 5 matches, Russia winning 2 times with 2 draws, but in the only match Serbia won, they managed to rake in 9 total goals to Russia’s 4. This means Russia had a lot to cover up in this week's match, which they did with a clean 4-0 victory in this recent match.  Now you see what I mean when I say these friendly matches aren't so friendly! 

Belarus vs. Montenegro 

For this next matchup, what if I told you a small country of just 621,000 people beats a country with a population of over 9 million people? And apparently, this is not the first time this team has done it against this opponent. Belarus vs. Montenegro was a complete show of dominance, with Montenegro winning 2-0 against their very giant-populated opponent.  

France vs. Germany

These two teams are no strangers to each other; they have faced a total of 12 times, with France winning 6 times and Germany having only 3 wins. This matchup was destined to have it twist and turns simply because of the number of competitions these two have battled in. This might have been tagged as “friendly” to others, but to these two teams, it might as well be the Cup-winning match. This match was not short of expectations, with the very first goal coming in the first minute of the match. In case you didn't read that right, one minute into the match, Germany scored! But this did not water down the tempo of the match, the match was electric from start to finish, with a score line pf 2-0 in favour of Germany. 

Nigeria vs. Ghana

This one was the match to watch for every Naija vs. Ghana banter fan, because there was a lot on the line in terms of pride, sweeter jollof, and bragging rights. 

The match was an exciting one; it started a little slow for the nigerian team but picked up towards the end of the 1st-half. A fun fact for the football enthusiast; out of the 13 times we have played Ghana, this win gives us our 3rd win against their 5 wins (don't let the Ghanaians know).  All in all this match was fun watch for Nigerians, with Lookman scoring a much needed comfortable second goal right after he was subbed in. 

What did you think about this friendly? Was it fun for you too? And do you think this current Super Eagles squad can take us somewhere in the World Cup?