Questionable officiating, Chelle-problem: Five takeaways from Super Eagles’ 2-1 loss to Egypt

The Super Eagles of Nigeria fell to a disappointing 2-1 loss to the Pharaohs of Egypt in their only preparatory game for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.

Egypt opened the scoring in the 28th minute, courtesy of Mahmoud Saber. But Nigeria equalized at the stroke of halftime through a header from Chidozie Awaziem.

However, the Pharaohs regained their lead through a goal from Mostafa Mohamed in the 53rd minute.

The Super Eagles pushed for an equalizer after going down for a second time, but they fell short, as their North African counterparts ran out with the victory at the Cairo International Stadium.

In this piece, Soccernet.ng analyzes some of the key points to note from the game between Egypt and Nigeria.

Questionable Officiating

The center referee on the night was Egyptian Mahmoud Nagi. First of all, there is the big question about his Egyptian nationality, but it was just a friendly game in the end.

He had quite an average game on the night. He made some questionable calls in the game. Paul Onuachu was basically being manhandled in the game, but he never cautioned the Egyptian defenders. In fact, it was Onuachu who was constantly cautioned and even got yellow-carded.

Also, the second goal for Egypt was a clear offside, but neither he nor his assistants called it. If there was VAR in use, that goal would definitely have been ruled out.

Nwabali is Ready to go!

Last week, there was a huge question mark over Stanley Nwabali’s participation at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria. This came after his Chippa United coach revealed that he was nursing multiple injuries.

It was a surprise when he was eventually named in the final list. But against Egypt, he showed no sign of pain or weakness, he was calm and focused throughout the entire period he was on the pitch.

Going into the AFCON, the former Enyimba man will surely keep his place as Nigeria’s number 1.

Problems at Center-Back: Benjamin Fredrick Will Surely be Missed

Benjamin Fredrick suffered an injury last month, and that ruled him out of the 2025 AFCON. If he was fit, he would definitely have made the AFCON squad.

In his absence, the likes of Igoh Ogbu, Semi Ajayi, and Chidozie Awaziem, will be hoping to be the one to partner Calvin Bassey at center-back.

But today, none of them covered themselves in glory. The Egyptian side that Nigeria faced was not exactly great, but the Super Eagles defenders were not convincing enough in the few times that they were tested.

If the Super Eagles face a better attack, they could be in serious trouble.

Eric Chelle: New Game, Same Problems

In Nigeria’s last game against DR Congo, they were outplayed. The Super Eagles struggled to progress the ball from the midfield to the attack. Perhaps, if DR Congo were a bit more decisive in the second half, it could have been a proper spanking.

Against Egypt, it was a similar problem. Too many passes between the center-back, and just an inability to advance the ball into the dangerous areas. Many times, the defenders had to go long and eventually ceded possession.

The few times they even managed to progress the ball, it was basically just one player going on a mazy run. Eric Chelle will have to work on how he sets his team up. Because they can’t continue playing like this.

A Toothless Attack: Super Eagles Failed To Create Solid Chances

The Super Eagles had the bulk of the possession, but they failed to create any meaningful chance. In fact, the goal they scored was due to a mistake from the Egyptian goalkeeper.

Onuachu was just left to battle for scraps and pieces in the game. Nothing came from the midfield, and the wingers had an off day.

Egypt did not even play a low block. There were visible holes in their backline, but the Super Eagles failed to exploit.