Five Things We Learned From Nigeria's Disciplined 1-0 Win Against Egypt

Published: March 27, 2019

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were involved in a friendly encounter with the Pharaohs of Egypt at the Stephen Keshi Stadium and it ended 1-0 in favor of the home side.

Paul Onuachu's quick goal was all that the team needed to record a well-deserved victory over the North African side.

However, here are some of the top five talking points from the encounter:

Paul Onuachu Marks His Full Debut With A Quick Goal

FC Midtjylland striker Paul Onuachu, who was making his first start for the Super Eagles, is now one of the fastest goalscorers in the Super Eagles history after finding the back of the net in less than a minute.

He will hope that his debut goal for the team has done enough to earn him another call-up to the team in the next international break.

Super Eagles lack Cutting Edge

Gernot Rohr's men enjoined larger percentage of the ball but failed to make it count. They lacked cutting edge at the final half of the pitch as they settled for a one-goal victory.

Rohr must address this unwanted situation before the tournament, else, his team might fail to progress out of group stage.

The Absence Of Top Stars Was Felt By The Pharaohs

Egypt were in Nigeria without a full squad and that reflected in their performance throughout the evening.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and two other stars were all excused from the encounter by the Egyptian FA. Things could have been different if all of these players made it to Delta state.

Much Improved Performance From Eagles Midfielders

The Super Eagles midfield was disjointed in their 3-1 win over Seychelles last Friday, but it was better on Tuesday.

They were more coordinated against Egypt and the synergy between John Ogu, Ndidi and Iwobi was just too good, especially in the opening period of the game.

The three players worked together to control the pace of the game, though, they weren't as fast as many fans would have loved to see.

The Fight For Center Forward Position Has Just Begun

Gernot Rohr has a huge decision to make as regards to who will lead his attacking line in Egypt.

Odion Ighalo scored against Seychelles on Friday, while Victor Osimhen found the back of Libya's net on three occasions on Tuesday to help the Dream Team VII progress to the next round of AFCON U23 qualifiers.

It was Onuachu's turn to find the net, which he did in style. This means that all the three strikers vying for the center forward position scored at least a goal in this month's international break.

Ibukun Italoye