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| (Image: WALLACE WOON/EPA-EFE/REX) |
Joe Aribo got his second goal in two Nigeria caps, opening the scoring against Brazil with a fine run and finish.
The Rangers midfielder was born in England, but qualifies for the Super Eagles thanks to his ancestry.
Last month Aribo made a goalscoring debut against Ukraine, and he made it two in two this afternoon with a great goal against the five-time world champions.
Brazil named a strong starting XI including Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus and Neymar , but the Paris Saint-Germain superstar was withdrawn early on after picking up an injury.
With 35 minutes on the clock things got even worse for the Selecao, as Aribo gave Nigeria the lead in Singapore.
Victor Osimhen over hit a cross from the right, but Simone Moses recovered it and found Aribo on the edge of the box.
The Rangers star skipped past his man before turning past PSG defender Marquinhos and finishing with confidence.
The Super Eagles emerged with a creditable draw, with Real Madrid’s Casemiro getting a second half equaliser.
It’s the latest step in a fairytale rise at international level for Aribo, who credit Rangers for helping make the step up.
He said ahead of this one: “Games don’t come much bigger than Brazil and we know they’ve got a lot of stars like Neymar.
“That’s the type of opponents I want to be playing against and it would be good to swap a jersey with one of those superstars.
“I’ll see so many stars and I’ll take a moment to realise that’s what I’ve been dreaming of.
“Everyone in my generation loved players like Ronaldinho and he played with some of the players in this team now so it’s like ‘wow’. I didn’t think international recognition would come so soon but it shows the stature of Rangers and why it was a good decision to come here.”
