Egypt U-20 fall to Nigeria in friendly ahead of AFCON youth tournament - National Teams
The Young Pharaohs suffered a 2-1 defeat to Nigeria in a friendly match on Tuesday, as both sides gear up for the upcoming Africa U-20 Cup of Nations set to kick off later this month in Egypt.
Despite the result, Egypt's head coach, Osama Nabih, said the match offered valuable insights and experience for his young squad, many of whom played at Cairo International Stadium for the first time.
'We faced a strong and organized team,' Nabih said in comments published by the Egyptian Football Association.
'Our players gained a lot from this match on the technical, tactical, and physical levels.'
Nigeria took an early lead before Egypt's Ahmed Khaled, known as Kabaka, levelled the score in the 68th minute with a powerful strike.
However, the visitors were awarded a penalty in the 84th minute and converted it to seal the victory.
Nabih expressed confidence in his team's development, noting that Egypt had created several scoring opportunities but lacked finishing.
'We controlled the game and had clear chances to win,' he said. 'But inexperience cost us at key moments.'
Egypt are hosting the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations from 27 April to 18 May, with matches set to be played in Cairo and other cities.
The top four teams from the tournament will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile later this year.
The Young Pharaohs will begin their campaign against Zambia on 27 April. They were drawn in Group A alongside South Africa, Zambia, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.
The Egyptian squad remains in a closed training camp in the New Administrative Capital in preparation for Sunday's opener.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
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