Super Eagles vs Pharaohs: Key Facts: Nigeria vs Egypt

The Super Eagles of Nigeria face a stern test against seven-time champions Egypt in the opening match of Group D of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations finals on Tuesday.

• Venue and time: The venue is the 30,000 –capacity Stade Roumdé Adjia in the northern Cameroonian town of Garoua and the kick-off is 5 pm.

• Match Facts: Egypt swept the stakes at the first two editions of Africa’s flagship football competition, in 1957 and 1959, and then won on home soil in 1986 and in Burkina Faso 12 years later, before a hat-trick of consecutive titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

• Nigeria soared to glory on home soil in 1980, won in Tunisia in 1994 and overturned bookmakers’ predictions to triumph in South Africa nine years ago.

Past Meetings

• Both teams are not unfamiliar to themselves at the AFCON, with the Pharaohs hammering the Eagles 6-3 in Nigeria’s first-ever match at the competition (in Ghana in 1963) and coming from behind to tame the Eagles 3-1 in the city of Benguela (Angola) in 2010.
• On their march to victory in 1980, the Eagles sailed past the Pharaohs 1-0 in a group phase clash in Ibadan, and four years later, following a pulsating 2-2 draw in a semi-final match in Bouake (Cote d’Ivoire), Nigeria won on penalties to reach the final against Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions. In 1990, a lone goal by Rashidi Yekini consigned the Pharaohs to defeat in a group phase match in Algiers, and in 1994, both teams battled to a scoreless draw at the Stade Chadli Zouiten in Tunis.

What the Coaches saying:

Austin Eguavoen Super Eagles: “I look forward to an interesting game between two ambitious teams. As I said a couple of weeks ago, we will take it one match at a time. For now, we see the clash with Egypt and all our plan is how to earn the three points. The Egyptians are a strong team and will come with a lot of confidence and steam, but we will also be going to the field with a lot of confidence and steam. It is going to be an interesting evening.” 

Carlos Queiroz Coach, Egypt

“We are ready and eagerly waiting for the start of the journey. Everyone is ready to give their best. We will face a team that has many great players, but we are ready and we will face them with full force.” .

Eguavoen not looking Steve Keshi’s record:

“It’s not about the individual, it’s about the team, it’s about the country. I’m not looking at personal glory to say hey, listen, I wanna be the coach alive to have won the Nations Cup as a player and as a coach, No. I’m looking at what I can do for my country and leave a legacy. It’s not about the individual. It’s a collective thing.”

What the Players are saying:

Super Eagles Captain Ahmed Musa “Everyone is talking about Salah, but if you look at our team we have lots of players they will be worried about,” Musa declared during a press conference held in Abuja on Tuesday.

“So we don’t have to think about Salah; they have to think about our own players.

“They talk about Salah but we have players like Samuel Chukwueze and others on the wings who are very dangerous, so that’s football,” 

Egypt Star Mo Salah on Musa comment 

” Both teams have good players, they have the chance to win. We will do our best to win tomorrow. I don’t think there is need to reply him because he is someone I respect so much. Super Eagles have a good team but we would our best to defeat them”.

Super Eagles of Nigeria defender Ola Aina :“It’s very good, I love the atmosphere. We are very close together. We are like a family which is very important.I want to play well for the team and put up good performances that will help the squad.I said to my roommate (Alex Iwobi) that when you come here, you realise what privilege is to play at this tournament. The magnitude of this competition is massive. I will never feel AFCON is a small tournament, the world shouldn’t see it like that.”