Pharaohs Edge Super Eagles in AFCON 2025 Warm-Up Friendly

Egypt senior men’s national team claimed a 2–1 victory over Nigeria in an international friendly at the Cairo Stadium on Tuesday, as both sides concluded preparations for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, which begin in Morocco on Sunday.

Nigeria started the encounter in an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation, the first time head coach Eric Sékou Chelle has deployed the system since taking charge. The Super Eagles began brightly, enjoying greater possession and dictating play in the opening 15 minutes.

However, the hosts gradually found their rhythm and began exploiting spaces on the counterattack. Egypt’s approach paid dividends midway through the first half when they broke the deadlock following a swift transition.

Despite conceding, three-time AFCON champions Nigeria remained composed, maintaining their structure and posing problems through a mix of long balls and incisive movement through central areas. The Super Eagles were particularly dangerous from set pieces, and their pressure was rewarded in first-half stoppage time.

Defender Zaidu Sanusi delivered a teasing ball into the box, which Chidozie Awaziem guided home to restore parity just before the interval.

Nigeria reshuffled at the break, reverting to a 4-4-2 formation with several changes, including the introduction of Amas Obasogie in goal, alongside Ademola Lookman, Cyril Dessers, Semi Ajayi, Bruno Onyemaechi, and Tochukwu Nnadi.

The second half was more evenly contested, but Egypt regained the lead from a goal that appeared to stem from an offside position. Nigerian players protested the decision, but the referee allowed the goal to stand.

Thereafter, the Pharaohs retreated deep into their half, defending resolutely to repel sustained Nigerian pressure. Frustrations boiled over on the Super Eagles bench, with Coach Chelle shown a yellow card after protesting a series of decisions, including a waved-away handball appeal inside the Egyptian penalty area.

Despite late pressure, Nigeria were unable to find a second equaliser as Egypt held on for the win.

The Super Eagles will now fly to Fès on Thursday aboard a chartered flight ahead of their Group C AFCON matches against Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda, in that order. Egypt, meanwhile, head to Agadir for their Group B fixtures against South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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