Kelechi Iheanacho strike seals victory for dominant Super Eagles against Egypt in AFCON 2021

• Kelechi Iheanacho first-half goal settled the Group D opener between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Pharaohs of Egypt
• Nigeria put out a dominant display to hand Egypt their first loss in an AFCON opening game since 2004
• The Super Eagles will next face Sudan on Saturday, January 15, while Egypt will seek redemption against Guinea-Bissau

Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho superb strike sealed victory for the Super Eagles against a very lethargic Egyptian side as Nigeria opened its AFCON 2021 on a winning note.

Nigeria’s interim coach Augustine Eguavoen named a very attacking lineup as Moses Simon, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Kelechi Iheanacho were preferred in attack with Joe Aribo, Wilfred Ndidi bossing the midfield.

Eguavoen tactics seemed to have stunned the Egyptians as the Super Eagles were dominant from the onset of the encounter.

Moses Simon was the livewire for Nigeria down the left side of the Super Eagles attack as the Nantes winger was instrumental in running down the Egyptian defence who were bereft of ideas on how to curtail the Super Eagles.

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Football

Nigeria dominated possession in the first half but failed to create clear-cut opportunities for Awoniyi and Iheanacho upfront for the Eagles.

Iheanacho would finally break the deadlock in the 30th minute as his left foot shot swept into the roof of the Egyptian net.

The Super Eagles would then hang on to claim its first win of the tournament and handing Egypt their first group stage loss since a 2-1 defeat to Algeria in 2004

The Super Eagles will next face Sudan on Saturday, January 15, while Egypt will seek redemption against Guinea-Bissau

AFCON 2021: Resilient Sierra Leone hold champions Algeria in tough Group E clash

Earlier Sportsbrief reported Sierra Leone have handed reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions, Algeria, a reality check after forcing them to a frustrating 0-0 draw in their Group E curtain-raiser.