Portugal 2-1 Nigeria – 2026 FIFA World Cup warm-up result as Cristiano Ronaldo and Co head into group stage with friendly win

Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceicao helped Portugal to a 2-1 win against Nigeria for a positive send-off ahead of their World Cup group stage matches next week.

Akor Adams scored the lone goal for the Super Eagles in the first half for an exciting equaliser, but it would be Portugal who showed their quality to claim victory in their final warm-up match.

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo would take the first attempt at goal, though it went sky-high above the bar. Minutes later he found himself in open space after a through-ball from Jose Semedo but, despite it looking all but done, the striker skewed wide to the shock of the entire stadium.

It would be Neto who opened the scoring nearly 25 minutes into the match, set up by Diogo Dalot who chose to pass the Chelsea winger instead of Ronaldo and Semedo in the box.

Nigeria wouldn’t be left behind for long. After a few good counters that didn’t quite go all the way, Adams caught a lucky break as Gonzalo Inacio went sprawling past the ball. He picked it up and, with help from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, he sent it past the keeper with confidence to finish the first half on level ground.

Head coach Roberto Martinez would then rotate through his entire squad - save for his keepers - with what felt like a never-ending carousel, including a behemoth nine-man change over the half-time break.

But those changes proved to be worth it as Portugal continued to look stronger. Joao Felix’s strike slammed off the crossbar and deflected down onto the goal line.

Then, in the 75th minute, Conceicao, on the edge of the box, curled a beautiful ball into the left side of the net that Maduka Okoye could only look at.

Shortly after, Alex Iwobi was subbed off to applause for his 100th cap for Nigeria.

Portugal saw out the rest of the match and will embark on their 2026 World Cup journey on a good note. They face the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Texas on June 17, before they play Uzbekistan at the same venue a week later. They then face what should be their biggest test of the group stage in Miami, where they will play Colombia on June 28.

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Portugal will no doubt be bolstered by a positive performance tonight ahead of the group stage. As a reminder, they sit in Group K where the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia await.

Uzbekistan will make their World Cup debut, while DR Congo have proved to have physicality on their side. Martinez' side are still the heavy favourites going in, but they are perhaps weighed down slightly by doubt over captain Ronaldo's abilities.

The hosts will see this out to secure a third consecutive win ahead of their trip to the United States. It's all smiles for Nigeria though as they congratulate and chat with the Portuguese, and it's been a fun one to watch tonight.

Next stop for Roberto Martinez' side: Houston, Texas! They face DR Congo next Wednesday 17 June at 6PM BST.

Sanusi is given a yellow as he flies in from nowhere in attempt to take the ball from Conceicao, but catches his foot instead.

Leiria will see four more minutes of football after enough subs to fill a minibus. Perhaps a touch generous but the fans won't complain as it does seem like Portugal will see this out.

Alex Iwobi comes off the pitch to applause after playing nearly the entire match in his 100th cap for Nigeria. Philip Otele replaces him.

Bewene completely levels Felix and Portugal will get a free kick now. They win a corner, and Samuel Costa kicks it towards goal where Okoye is quick to block.

Just before that, both teams decided to make further substitutions. It appears Martinez is determined to give all his men some warm-up time as Nuno Mendes comes off for Matheus Nunes. As for Nigeria, Nnadi and goalscorer Adams are replaced by Paul Onuachu and Emmanuel Fernandez.

Ruben Neves briefly went down but has continued to play.

Conceicao finds himself near the edge of the box and curls in a lovely ball past five men to catch Okoye off guard. The crowd goes wild and that strike is deserving of the applause.

Joao Felix is handed a yellow for tripping Bassey, rather silly to be honest. The Nigerian was not yet a threat.

We break for water and a huddle, with Adams jokingly joining the Portuguese tactics talks.

The hosts have looked sharper after halftime - though that may not be a fair comparison given the complete change of personnel. Nigeria haven't had as many chances as before, but have been defending admirably.

Off goes Ronaldo as Martinez brings on Goncalo Ramos in his stead. Surely that will be the last for Portugal, or will Jose Sa get some game time tonight?

Joao Felix has been a good sub for Martinez, he heads an effort clear of the post. It has been lively from both teams but ultimately uneventful, and now Nigeria make changes of their own.

Off come Simon, Akpan, Ajayi, Dele-Bashiru, and captain Ndidi, on go Abdullahi Bewene, Zaidu Sanusi, Terem Moffi, Frank Onyeka, and Raphael Onyedika.

Portugal made a staggering NINE changes at halftime, and Roberto Martinez has pulled on the following men: Joao Felix, Joao Cancelo, Renato Veiga, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Neves, Nuno Mendes, Francisco Conceicao, Tomas Araujo and Samuel Costa.

Off go everyone but Ronaldo and keeper Diogo Costa, probably in an effort to keep his men fairly rested for the upcoming gauntlet of the World Cup. No change for Ronaldo though, who has been fairly lackluster today.

Arms get raised from the Portugal players as Joao Felix's attempt smacks into the crossbar and deflects down. Did it cross the line? It seems like a game of millimeters as play moves on.

Ronaldo then gets another chance clear in the box, but catches the cross just behind him and it's far from challenging Okoye.

Nigeria gets us back underway.

Despite Portugal the heavy favourite coming in, Nigeria have shown moments of competitive play here tonight. Captain Ronaldo has also been less effective as he would've hoped to be, with a massive miss early in the game that denied them the chance of being 2-1 right now.

Could they be shocked by groupmates DC Congo, who were the ones to shatter the Super Eagles' dreams of appearing at the 2026 World Cup?

Trincao's cross heads straight into Okoye's hands, and as three added minutes are announced, Nigeria seem content to take their time with the ball.

Simon brings the ball up, it's cleared (not far) by Portugal and Ndidi wins a corner with a deflection. Nothing comes out of the corner for Nigeria though, and despite a quick attempt at a counter by Neto, that will be it for this half!

The crowd shouts as Ronaldo dives for a header - but the ball skims past inches from his hair. Portugal have remained in control for the majority of this match, but Nigeria have been awfully dangerous on the break.

As we speak off they go again, but it peters out thanks to Fernandes' pace and a lack of options.