Egypt beat Nigeria 2-1 in confidence-boosting warm-up ahead of AFCON

Egypt boosted their confidence ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nigeria in a pre-tournament friendly on Tuesday night in Cairo.

The Pharaohs opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark through Mahmoud Saber, who was expertly set up by the lively Zizo, whose movement and creativity constantly troubled the Nigerian defence.

Nigeria responded shortly after, with Chidozie Awaziem capitalising on a fumble by Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy from a Zaidu free kick to level matters.

However, Egypt emerged after the break with renewed vigour, and Zizo again played a pivotal role, creating space for Mostafa Mohamed to drill home and restore the lead.

Despite Nigeria’s efforts to find an equaliser, Egypt maintained control and finished the game on top, leaving the Super Eagles to reflect on areas for improvement ahead of their AFCON opener against Tanzania. Egypt will face Zimbabwe in their first group match on Monday, while Nigeria kick off their campaign the following day.

The friendly served as a valuable test for both sides, highlighting Egypt’s attacking cohesion and Nigeria’s need for sharper execution in the final third.