The Super Eagles will next face Sudan on Saturday, January 15, while Egypt will be facing Guinea-Bissau.
Nigeria beat Egypt 1:0 in day three of the AFCON tournament
Kelechi Iheanacho’s first-half goal settled the Group D opener between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Pharaohs of Egypt. Nigeria put out a dominant performance which handed Egypt their first loss in an AFCON opening game since 2004.
Nigeria's Super-Eagles celebrate the goal
Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho superb strike sealed victory for the Super Eagles against the Egyptian giving Nigeria its first win in the AFCON 2021.
Nigeria’s interim coach Augustine Eguavoen named a very attacking lineup as Moses Simon, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Kelechi Iheanacho were preferred in attack with Joe Aribo, Wilfred Ndidi bossing the midfield.
Egypt’s Eguavoen tactics seemed to have stunned the Egyptians as the Super Eagles were dominant from the onset of the encounter.
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Nigeria dominated possession in the first half but failed to create clear-cut opportunities for Awoniyi and Iheanacho upfront for the Eagles. Iheanacho would finally break the deadlock in the 30th minute as his left foot shot swept into the roof of the Egyptian net.
Algeria in group E who are also the defending champions kicked off their title defense on a frustrating note. They were unable to break Sierra Leone's stubborn backline to settle which later saw them settling for a goalless draw.
They will be desperate to make amends in their next fixtures against Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast.
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