December 17, (THEWILL) — Egypt claimed a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in a pre-Africa Cup of Nations friendly in Cairo on Tuesday night. The result provided a morale boost for the hosts just days before the tournament began.
Mahmoud Saber gave Egypt the lead before the half-hour mark, tapping in at the back post after being set up by Zizo.
The ZED striker benefited from Zizo’s threatening performance, which troubled the Nigerian defence throughout the match.
Nigeria struggled to create attacking cohesion despite showing determination, though Paul Onuachu’s long ball nearly resulted in an own goal from Yasser Ibrahim, prevented only by a sharp save from the Egyptian goalkeeper.
Nigeria equalised shortly afterwards when Zaidu’s free kick from the left caught Mohamed El Shenawy off guard at his near post.
The goalkeeper fumbled the delivery, allowing the ball to roll under his body before Chidozie Awaziem headed home from a yard out.
The leveller came against the run of play but offered Nigeria fresh impetus heading into the interval.
Egypt restored their advantage after the break through Mostafa Mohamed, who drilled home from inside the area following more excellent work from Zizo.
Nigeria could not muster a second equaliser, with the hosts controlling proceedings until the final whistle. Mohamed’s strike proved decisive in what had been a lively encounter between two African footballing powers.
Egypt will begin their AFCON campaign against Zimbabwe on Monday, whilst Nigeria face Tanzania the following day. Both sides will hope the Cairo friendly provided valuable preparation ahead of the tournament opener.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
