Nigeria’s Flying Eagles secured a 2-1 victory over Egypt’s Young Pharaohs in an international friendly played at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday, as both sides fine-tuned their preparations for the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
Kparobo Arierhi, a standout performer during Nigeria’s successful WAFU B title defence last October, opened the scoring in the 10th minute, latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Bidemi Amole. Egypt found an equaliser midway through the second half when Ahmed Kaabaka took advantage of a defensive slip to slot home in the 65th minute.
The Flying Eagles, however, reclaimed their lead late on. Precious Benjamin confidently converted a penalty in the 83rd minute after Divine Oliseh was fouled inside the box.
The result provides a timely boost for the seven-time African champions, who had only arrived in Cairo less than two days before the match. They now shift focus to the tournament itself, which kicks off on Sunday.
Nigeria will open their Group B campaign against Tunisia next Thursday, before taking on Morocco and Kenya. Meanwhile, hosts Egypt, drawn in Group A, will begin their quest against South Africa, followed by matches against Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Tanzania.
