Nigeria's Super Eagles delivered a spirited performance but ultimately fell short, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Wednesday's international friendly.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes were both on the pitch as the hosts edged out an Eagles side that refused to make things easy for them throughout the contest.

Bright start from both sides

Ronaldo had the first attempt of the match, cutting loose after just two minutes — though his effort drifted wide. Nigeria responded swiftly, with Onyemaechi testing the Portuguese goalkeeper from outside the box in the seventh minute, only to see his low drive comfortably saved.

The contest grew more intense moments later when Ronaldo found himself one-on-one with Stanley Okoye following a swift counter-attack, yet the Nigeria goalkeeper stood firm to deny him. Adams then had the chance to break the deadlock almost immediately, but his left-footed strike missed the target by a narrow margin.

Pedro Neto opens the scoring

Portugal's persistence paid off when Pedro Neto received a well-timed pass inside the box from Diogo Dalot and drilled a low finish past Okoye to give the hosts the lead.

Fernandes came close to doubling Portugal's advantage on 33 minutes, forcing Okoye into a sharp save — the goalkeeper palming his left-footed effort away for a corner. Trincao also went close, his left-footed attempt sailing just over the bar.

Adams draws Nigeria level

The Super Eagles refused to be undone. On 37 minutes, Akor Adams collected a measured pass from Dele-Bashiru and produced a composed left-footed finish that crept beneath the goalkeeper to level the match at 1-1.

However, substitute Francisco Conceição proved to be the difference-maker, netting what turned out to be the decisive goal to hand Portugal a 2-1 victory and deny Nigeria a deserved draw on the night.

Despite the defeat, the Super Eagles displayed the kind of resilience and attacking intent that will encourage their supporters heading into future competitions.