Head coach of Nigeria’s Flying Eagles Aliyu Zubairu has said the team’s 2–1 win over Egypt in Tuesday’s friendly is simply an evaluation tool rather than a result to dwell on, as preparations continue for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Nigeria edged the Young Pharaohs at the Cairo International Stadium, thanks to a 10th-minute strike from Kparobo Arierhi and a converted penalty by Precious Benjamin. The game took place less than 48 hours after the Nigerian team arrived in Egypt.
Reacting to the match, Zubairu made it clear that the result carries little significance beyond technical assessment.
“About the result, I don’t think it makes any difference. It’s just for evaluation,” he said after the match.
Despite this stance, the coach highlighted several positives from the outing, expressing satisfaction with how the team performed against the tournament hosts.
“The positives we take from the match are enormous and are going to guide us to improve on the deficiency observed,” he said.
Zubairu also commended his players’ adaptability to the Egyptian climate, considering the short acclimatisation window since arrival.
“The weather, I think the boys are adapting very fast,” he said.
With less than ten days until their tournament opener against Tunisia, Zubairu believes the victory could boost morale.
“The result is going to improve their confidence level psychologically,” he added.
Nigeria are drawn in Group B of the U-20 AFCON and will face Tunisia, Morocco, and Kenya in the first round of the competition.
