A much-changed Nigerian side fell to a 2–1 defeat against Egypt on Tuesday at the Cairo International Stadium, as both teams continued their preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, SportPremi Reports.
The Super Eagles had opened their camp for players to arrive last Sunday and were without some of their major players, as Eric Chelle made several twists to the lineup.
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Mahmoud Saber gave the hosts the lead in the first half, although Chidozie Awaziem pulled Nigeria level right on the stroke of halftime.
Mostafa Mohamed restored the Pharaohs’ lead after the break, as the hosts sealed a 2–1 victory, leaving the Super Eagles with plenty to reflect on.
Egypt secure victory, as Nigeria eye improvement ahead of AFCON opener
The clash between Egypt and Nigeria was previously scheduled to hold on the 14th of December, but was shifted till the 16th due to the FIFA deadline for clubs to release participating players.
Both sides were missing key players for the clash, giving their head coaches the opportunity to be flexible ahead of the main tournament in Morocco.
The game started at a slow pace, but came into life in the 28th minute as the home side grabbed the lead.
Al Ahly winger Zizo beat Super Eagles defender Sanusi on the flanks and played a brilliant cross to Saber, who finished past Stanley Nwabali.
Trabzonspor forward Paul Onuachu almost pulled Nigeria level in the 41st minute, but his header was met by a brilliant save by El-Shenawy.
However, the three-time champions went into halftime level when Awaziem headed into an empty net after the ball deflected onto his path.
The Pharaohs took the lead again in the second half after Nigeria failed at an attempt to keep the offside trap, which allowed Mostafa Mohamed to slot into the net.
The Super Eagles had several chances to get a winner, but were not able to find the back of the net as the game ended in a 2-1 result in favor of the home side.
Chelle has work to do ahead of Nigeria’s opener
Nigeria clash against Tanzania in their group C opener on the 23rd, leaving head coach Eric Chelle with lot of work to do ahead of the clash.
The former Mali head coach must work on the best defensive pairing to start in that particular clash and he must also choose the best formation with the return of his best players.
Players Ratings:
Egypt Players Ratings
- El Shenawy – 7.1
- Abdelmaguid – 7.0
- Ashour – 6.9
- Ateya – 6.8
- Fathi – 7.2
- El Fatouh – 6.7
- Hany – 6.6
- Ibrahim – 6.9
- Mohamed – 8.1
- Saber – 7.5
- Zizo – 8.0
Nigeria Players Ratings
- Nwabali – 6.5
- Osayi-Samuel – 6.8
- Sanusi – 6.4
- Ogbu – 6.7
- Awaziem – 7.2
- Onyeka – 6.6
- Onyedika – 6.5
- Dele-Bashiru – 6.3
- Akinsanmiro – 6.2
- Ejuke – 6.9
- Onuachu – 6.4
What Next?
Egypt head to the AFCON tournament, where they will face Zimbabwe in their group opener on the 22nd.
Nigeria, on the other hand, face Tanzania in their opening clash a day later.
