The head coach of Egypt’s Under-20 national team, Osama Nabih has hailed the performance of the Flying Eagles of Nigeria in a pre-Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations friendly match held on Tuesday night at the Cairo International Stadium.
The Egyptian coach also commended his players for their performance despite their narrow 2-1 defeat to the Flying Eagles
The match started off with a bang as Kparobo Arierhi, a striker based in Norway, put Nigeria ahead just 10 minutes into the game.
However, the Young Pharaohs showed resilience and skill, managing to equalize in the 68th minute through a well-crafted goal by Ahmed Kaabaka, who capitalized on a beautiful team move to level the score.
As the match progressed, it appeared that Egypt might secure a positive result. However, the turning point came in the 84th minute when Nigeria was awarded a penalty, which Precious Benjamin converted, sealing the victory for the Flying Eagles.
Reflecting on the match, Nabih stated, “We faced a strong and well-organized team. Our players delivered one of the most valuable and intense experiences in terms of technical, tactical, and physical aspects.
“They controlled the game at critical moments and posed a real threat, especially after responding well to going behind early. Kabaka’s equalizer was a testament to our determination and teamwork.”
The coach added, “While we had several scoring opportunities that we unfortunately missed, we could have claimed victory ourselves had we been more clinical in front of goal before Nigeria’s late penalty.”
Looking ahead, Egypt’s Under-20 team is set to compete in Group A of the upcoming 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Tanzania.
The Young Pharaohs will kick off their campaign against Zambia in their opening match in Cairo on Sunday, April 27, where they will aim to build on the lessons learned from their match against Nigeria.