Zanzibar Heroes fought from two goals down to hold Nigeria’s CHAN team to a 2-2 draw in an international friendly match played on Thursday evening.

Anas Yusuf and Olamilekan Adebayo scored to give the CHAN Eagles a comfortable 2-0 lead at the Mau Tse Tung Stadium.

But the determined Zanzibar Heroes team cheered on by the passionate home fans fought back strongly after recess to score through Mudathir Andallah Said and Abdallah Idd Mtumwa (Pinna).

Eric Chelle, the Nigerian coach praised the Zanzibar team for the good display. “Playing two matches against Zanzibar have helped us shape up well,” said Chelle.

Zanzibar’s coach Ali Suleiman Haji Mtuli whose team also held Nigeria 0-0 in the first match played on Monday thanked the players for the good effort, and the fans for the support.

Nigeria used the two matches to prepare for the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 which will be co-hosted by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

Nigeria will kick start their Group D campaign on August 5 against defending champions Senegal at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.