Johannesburg – The Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho’s first goal in the tournament bolstered Nigeria to a hard-fought victory against Egypt in their opener of Group D in the African Cup of Nations.
The two giants of Africa sparred in the opening half hour, with Nigeria pinning pressure on the Pharaohs, and their fight bared fruits, as Leicester striker Iheanacho beautifully controlled a ball on the edge of the area and fired it to the net, to give his side a lead.
🔥What a goal from Super Eagles of Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho at #AFCON2021#TeamNigeria |#TeamEgypt pic.twitter.com/2WdiYPAd7a
— Champions League Stats (@alimo_philip) January 11, 2022
Coming with tensions high in the second half of the match, the Pharaohs were on verge for an equaliser.
This can be attributed to one of the silly mistakes done by Nigeria’s defence seemingly thought Salah had been caught offside, but the Egyptian maestro couldn’t lift the ball over Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.
Despite Iheanacho, Wilfred Ndidi became a standout performer in this match, dominating the midfield battle against Arsenal ‘s Mohamed Elneny and Aston Villa ‘s Trezeguet.
The match ended in a 1-0, and the Super Eagles climbed to the top position of Group D, with the Pharaohs occupying fourth position.
In other match of the group, the match between Sudan and Guinea Bissau ended in a goalless draw of 0-0 draw.
On Saturday, Guinea Bissau will next take on Egypt, while Sudan will meet Nigeria in a double header in Garoua.
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