THE Super Eagles of Nigeria have played down concerns following their 2–1 defeat to Egypt in a pre-2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) friendly in Cairo, with key players Paul Onuachu and Chidozie Awaziem expressing confidence in the team’s performance and readiness for the tournament.
News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the international friendly, played on Tuesday at the Cairo International Stadium, marked Nigeria’s final tune-up match ahead of the AFCON finals in Morocco. Despite the loss, the Eagles’ camp remained upbeat, describing the encounter as a valuable test against strong opposition.
Striker Paul Onuachu, who led the Eagles’ attack, said he approached the game with confidence, drawing inspiration from previous positive experiences against the North African giants.
“I first got to play against them knowing that I scored against them years ago and I had a good feeling,” Onuachu said after the match. “You could say in the game it was good.”
The Southampton forward admitted disappointment at the result but maintained that his overall performance and contribution were encouraging.
“I had a lot of confidence, played my game. Unfortunately, we lost and the goal did not come, but I felt good in the game. I think me and the team had a good game,” he added.
Egypt took the lead in the first half through Mahmoud Saber, but Nigeria responded just before halftime when defender Chidozie Awaziem powered home a header in stoppage time to restore parity.
However, the hosts regained the lead shortly after the restart, with Galatasaray striker Mostafa Mohamed finishing past Nigerian goalkeeper Amas Obasogie to secure a 2–1 victory for the Pharaohs.
Speaking to NFF TV after the encounter, Awaziem described the match as an important learning experience for the team as they fine-tune preparations for AFCON.
“I think it was a good test for us. Egypt is not an easy team to play against, and they have a number of quality players,” the defender said.
According to Awaziem, the primary objective of the friendly was not necessarily the result but to allow the technical crew assess player combinations, test new tactics, and evaluate squad depth.
“The purpose of the game was to test our ability for AFCON and for the coach to try new players and tactics,” he explained.
Despite the defeat, Awaziem noted that Nigeria controlled significant periods of the match and would focus on the positives rather than the scoreline.
“The main focus was to see different structures, watch new players, and see what they can contribute. We just take the positive parts of the game and move to AFCON,” he said.
The Super Eagles will now turn their attention to Morocco, where they are drawn in Group C of the 2025 AFCON alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania.
Nigeria will open their campaign against Tanzania in Fez on December 23, before facing Tunisia on December 27 and Uganda on December 30.
Runners-up at the last AFCON in Ivory Coast, the Super Eagles are aiming to claim a fourth continental title, having previously lifted the trophy in 1980, 1994 and 2013.