The Super Eagles of Nigeria have further boosted the morale of their team and the country at large as they fearlessly handicapped the Pharaohs of Egypt in their AFCON 2021 opening game in Garoua, Cameroon.
A brilliant strike from Kelechi Iheanaho at the 30th minute of the game put the Eagles in pole position as they outclassed the Egyptians in 90 minutes of play.
After frustrating the effort of the Egyptian defence, Moses Simon put a cross through the Pharao’s defence and a header by Joe Aribo assisted Iheanacho’s goal. Iheanacho later went on to become the man of the match after his quality strike.
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Despite having a world-class player, Mohammed Sallah, the seven-time African champions were humbled and lost 3 points in their opener.
Newly appointed coach Austine Eguavoen after the match said ” First of all, we want to respect our opponents. Our plan was to cut Mohammed Salah out and go for goal, which the players did. We will approach every game as a final.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria nullified all efforts made by the Egyptians throughout 90 minutes and now sit top of group D.
Match Statistics
Possession
Nigeria 43.1% – Egypt 56.9%
Total Attempts
Nigeria 15 – Egypt 4
On Target
Nigeria 5 – Egypt 2
Accurate Passes
Nigeria 251 – Egypt 354
Accuracy
Nigeria 75.1% – Egypt 77.5%
Corners
Nigeria 6 – Egypt 3
Offsides
Nigeria 0 – Egypt 1
Fouls committed
Nigeria 15 – Egypt 6
Yellow cards
Nigeria 0 – Egypt 0
Red cards
Nigeria 0 – Egypt 0
