Egypt emerged from Tuesday night’s 2–1 friendly victory over Nigeria with what their football federation described as nine clear gains, Soccernet.ng reports.
The North African giants claim the result Nigeria has boosted confidence in the Pharaohs’ camp just days before the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Played at the Cairo International Stadium, the encounter was Egypt’s final warm-up before AFCON and offered head coach Hossam Hassan several reasons for optimism, despite the absence of key stars such as Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush, Trezeguet and Rami Rabia.
The match served a different purpose for Nigeria but from Egypt’s perspective, the Super Eagles, Africa’s reigning runners-up, represented the perfect benchmark.
According to the Egypt FA, beating Nigeria provided Egypt with a major psychological lift. The Super Eagles remain one of the continent’s most feared sides, packed with European-based talent, and overcoming them so close to tournament kick-off has reassured Egyptian fans and players alike.
The win also restored Egypt’s momentum in friendly matches. The Pharaohs had gone winless in recent tests against Uzbekistan and Cape Verde, and this result ended that run, reinforcing belief in Hassan’s methods.
The result also tilted the head-to-head history between the two nations back in Egypt’s favour. The victory was Egypt’s eighth against Nigeria in 22 meetings, breaking a long-standing statistical deadlock and marking their first win over the Super Eagles in almost ten years. Nigeria have registered seven wins while another seven matches have ended in draws.
Egyptians are equally pleased that coach Hassan achieved what his recent predecessors could not. Previous coaches Javier Aguirre and Carlos Queiroz both lost to Nigeria in recent encounters, but Hassan succeeded where they failed, adding weight to his growing authority.
In the absence of Salah and three other senior players across defence, midfield and attack, the Pharaohs proved they could win without their biggest names.
Another noteworthy fact was that striker Mostafa Mohamed rediscovered his scoring touch, netting the winning goal to end a long international goal drought that had lasted nearly two years. Teammate Mahmoud Saber announced himself on the international stage by scoring his first goal for Egypt.
The win over Nigeria also strengthened Hossam Hassan’s overall record, now 12 victories in 19 matches, reinforcing the sense that Egypt are progressing steadily after a disappointing AFCON 2023 campaign.
From Egypt’s standpoint, beating Nigeria checked almost every box ahead of Morocco. But for the Super Eagles, the story did not end with the scoreboard.
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Positives for Nigeria as Chelle tests depth, structure and mentality
Despite the defeat, Super Eagles players were quick to insist that the friendly fulfilled its primary purpose: preparation.
Defender Chidozie Awaziem, who scored Nigeria’s only goal, described the match as a valuable assessment rather than a setback.
“I think it was a good test for us. Egypt are not an easy team to play against — they have many quality players,” Awaziem said.
“The purpose of the game was to test ourselves ahead of AFCON and for the coach to try new players and different tactics.”
Head coach Eric Chelle rotated his squad extensively, giving minutes to new faces such as Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Salim Fago Lawal and Tochukwu Nnadi while also experimenting with different tactical structures. Nigeria enjoyed long spells of possession, particularly in the second half, forcing Egypt deeper and creating several clear chances.
“Although the result wasn’t what we wanted, the main objectives of the friendly were achieved,” Awaziem added.
“We dominated the game, forced them to sit back, and created many chances to score.”
Striker Paul Onuachu, who made his Super Eagles debut against Egypt in 2019, also drew confidence from the performance despite failing to score.
“I felt confident and comfortable during the game and thought I played well,” Onuachu said.
“Still, as a team, we had a good performance.”
The defeat indeed exposed areas needing refinement for the Super Eagles, particularly defensive concentration, but also highlighted adaptability, squad depth and attacking intent. With time still available before their AFCON opener against Tanzania on December 23, those lessons may prove invaluable.
