Egypt brush aside Nigeria with a 2-1 win in pre-AFCON 2025 friendly

Egypt warmed up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 2-1 victory over Nigeria on Tuesday night.

The Pharaohs hosted the Super Eagles at the Cairo International Stadium for the crucial friendly match lined up to help both national teams prepare for the upcoming continental showpiece.

On the matchday, Egypt impressed with a good start, taking advantage to open the scoring in the 28th minute. Midfielder Mahmoud Saber equalised to shoot the hosts into the lead after he was set up by Zizo.

Down but not out, the Super Eagles of Nigeria fought to stay in the game and were rewarded in added time of the first half, when defender Chidozie Awaziem found the back of the net to restore parity to the game.

After halftime, both teams made several changes to give opportunities to other players to show what they can offer the team.

Amid what turned out to be wholesale changes, Mostafa Mohamed netted the winning goal for Egypt in the 53rd minute after he was assisted by Zizo.

Despite the best efforts of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, they could not find a way back and had to succumb to a 2-1 defeat at the end of the 90 minutes.

The two national teams are expected to wrap up their pre-tournament camp in Egypt before flying to Morocco for the start of AFCON 2025 on Sunday, December 21.