Egypt friendly a valuable test ahead of AFCON - Awaziem

Super Eagles defender Chidozie Awaziem has described Nigeria’s international friendly against Egypt as a valuable test, despite the team’s 2-1 defeat at the Cairo International Stadium.

The hosts opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark through Mahmoud Saber, putting the Pharaohs ahead in a closely contested encounter.

Awaziem restored parity for Nigeria late in the first half, giving the Super Eagles renewed confidence going into the break.

However, a 52nd-minute strike from Mostafa Mohammed proved decisive, sealing victory for Egypt.

Speaking after the match, Awaziem stressed that the result was secondary to the bigger picture, as the game formed part of Nigeria’s preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“It was a good test for us; Egypt is not an easy country to play against. They have a couple of good players,” Awaziem told the Super Eagles media team.

He added, “The purpose of the friendly was for us to test ourselves before the AFCON, for the coach to try new players, new tactics, and prepare well.”

While admitting disappointment with the loss, the defender highlighted several positives from the performance, particularly the opportunity for the coaching crew to assess new faces and tactical options.

“Though the result wasn’t good, it was not what we wanted. The focus was for us to see our structure, different players, see the newly invited players, and what they can contribute to the team,” he said.

Awaziem also praised Nigeria’s overall display, noting that the Super Eagles created numerous chances and controlled large spells of the game.

“I think the coach has seen that. For now, we should take the positives from the game and move to the AFCON. We dominated the game, pinned them back, and had so many chances to score. We just have to take the positives and move ahead,” he concluded.

The Super Eagles will now turn their full attention to the AFCON, hoping to build on the lessons learned from the Cairo friendly as they aim for success on the continental stage.