Champions Egypt shoot down Eagles

EGYPT hit back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup with an impressive 3-1 comeback win over Nigeria in the first Group C match of the African Cup of Nations in Benguela, Angola.

Chinedu Obasi ‘Edu’ put the Super Eagles ahead with a superb individual strike but goals from Emad Moteab, Ahmed Hassan and substitute Mohamed Nagy ‘Gedo’ gave the champions a stylish win that could have been a thrashing by the end.

Egypt responded excellently to going 1-0 down, controlling the match with Wael Gomaa keeping Ayegbeni Yakubu silent throughout, begging the question as to why they could not win an ordinary World Cup qualifying group with ease.

Nigeria, meanwhile, looked disjointed and left an apparently unfit Obafemi Martins on the bench, with coach Shaibu Amodu’s decision to bring off John Obi Mikel unusual as he had been one of their best players.

A keenly-contested first half between two evenly-matched sides started with Egypt calling the shots, Mohamed Zidan putting a wicked sixth-minute drive just over after a trademark turn and run.

But the Super Eagles took a 12th-minute lead against the run of play when, after picking the ball up on the right wing, Hoffenheim starlet Edu cut inside past Mahmoud Fathalla, shifted the ball on to his preferred left and fired an unstoppable shot across goal, past Essam Al-Hadary and into the top left.

Nigeria gained in confidence after that and went close again through Kalu Uche, who put over after a superb turn of pace and cross from Taye Taiwo.

Zidan came close to a mirror-image of Edu’s goal, cutting in from the left and hammering a right-foot drive just wide, while Uche was again guilty of missing after more good attack play from full-back Taiwo.

Within seconds a defensive horrorshow - out of place with the rest of the game - handed Egypt a route back into the match.

Ahmed Hassan was given too much time and space in midfield to pick out a through-ball that, thanks to a loss of concentration from Joseph Yobo, rapid striker Moteab was allowed to race on to.

Keeper Vincent Enyeama suffered a rare bout of African-keeper-itis and rushed yards out of his area, missing ball and man and allowing the Al-Ahly striker to slide the ball into an empty net.

Egypt were back to their old tricks now and almost got a breakaway second but Moteab poked over while flying in to meet an excellent cross by Ahmed Fathi.

The difference between Egypt and Nigeria was highlighted in first-half injury-time. When Nigeria’s defence failed, keeper Enyeama panicked; when Egypt failed to spot a quick near-post free-kick, Al-Hadary got down well to parry.

The second half was a classic Egyptian defend-and-counter performance. Seeming to have superior fitness to Nigeria - and certainly better organised and motivated - they moved the ball well and won most 50-50s, with reborn former Tottenham flop Hossam Ghaly battling manfully alongside midfield generals Hassan and Hosni Abd Rabo.

Fathi came close with a fizzing drive just wide on 52 minutes and, soon after, the Pharaohs were level when, after a brilliant intervention from Ghaly freed Zidan, a long-range shot from Hassan took a wicked deflection off Taiwo to wrong-foot Enyeama and fly into the left side of the goal.

Egypt love being one in front and they settled into their counter-attack routine with ease. Their response to adversity was in stark contrast to Nigeria’s, highlighting the age-old difference between the former’s team and the latter’s group of individuals.

Fleet-footed ENPPI wing-back Ahmed Al-Muhammadi - linked with Sunderland and Blackburn - came on and gave Nigeria a torrid time, matching and bettering the pace of Taiwo and Uche, leading to the latter coming off and the former being given the run-around while struggling to get forward.

Moteab missed a howler to make it 3-1 when he blasted over after racing clean through when Yobo got caught ball-watching to play him onside.

Zidan stung the palms of Enyeama with a curling free-kick that the Hapoel Tel Aviv shot-stopper did well to tip away for a corner and, a daisy-cutter from Taiwo aside, Nigeria were spent.

Eyebrows were raised when Mikel - who had largely done well showing a good range of passing and solid tackling - came off for veteran striker Nwankwo Kanu and, with three minutes left, it was 3-1.

With Nigeria over-committed Moteab led the charge to feed midfielder Gedo, a second-half sub who got his second goal in this third Egypt appearance with an angled drive into the bottom left.

It could have been four, Gedo hitting an audacious effort wide from a tight angle and Hassan denied by a last-gasp Yobo challenge as Al-Muhammadi ran them ragged down the right.

The Mauritian referee put Nigeria out of their misery and Egypt moved a big step towards the quarter finals. — Eurosport