Egypt's Pharaohs defeated Nigeria's Super Eagles 2-1 in an international friendly match played at the Cairo Stadium on Tuesday night.
Both sides completed preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Morocco, which kicks off on Sunday, December 21.
The victory provided a significant confidence boost for the record African champions ahead of the tournament.
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In a lively warm-up encounter, Egypt took a reasonable lead just before the half-hour mark through Mahmoud Saber.
The Z striker was set up by the impressive Ahmed Saeed “Zizzo”, who troubled the Nigerian defence, tapping in at the back post.
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Nigeria struggled for offensive cohesion and were fortunate not to concede again when Paul Onuachu's long ball was almost headed into his own net by Yasser Ibrahim, only for goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy to make a good save and prevent an embarrassing own goal.
The Super Eagles equalized after a set-piece mishap by the Egyptian goalkeeper. Zaidu Sanusi delivered a free-kick from the left straight to El Shenawy at the near post, which was thwarted by the keeper, causing the ball to roll under his body and Chidozie Awazim headed the ball goalwards from close range.
Three-time AFCON winners Nigeria will leave on Thursday on a chartered flight from Cairo for Fés, where they will contest Group C matches against Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda.
Meanwhile, Egypt head to Agadir for Group B fixtures against South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe.
The Pharaohs begin their AFCON campaign against Zimbabwe on Monday, with the Super Eagles facing Tanzania the next day.
