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| Coach Samson Siasia |
Nigeria ignored a
football fundamental -- always play to the whistle -- and it cost them dearly
in a 1-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying draw with Egypt Friday.
AFP
report continues:
The
Super Eagles deserved to be more than one goal ahead at an overcrowded Ahmadu
Bello Stadium in northern city Kaduna as the high-profile Group G clash drifted
into stoppage time.
Then,
a pass from substitute Ramadan Sobhy caught the defence napping and as they
stood appealing for offside, Mohamed Salah equalized.
Oghenekaro
Etebo, a star when Nigeria won the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations three months ago,
had pounced on a rebound off the woodwork to break the stalemate on the hour.
Victor
Moses thought he had scored a second six minutes from time after rounding
goalkeeper Ahmed Al Shenawy and pushing the ball toward an unguarded goal.
But
Hamada Tolba darted back to make a dramatic clearance under pressure just
before the ball crossed the goal-line.
Salvaging
a lucky point kept record seven-time African champions Egypt two points ahead
of three-time winners Nigeria halfway through the six-round qualifying
schedule.
Egypt
have seven points, Nigeria five, Tanzania four and Chad none in the 'group of
death'.
The
teams clash again Tuesday in Mediterranean city Alexandria and a win for the
Pharaohs would all but seal a slot at the 2017 tournament in Gabon.
Only
the 13 group winners are guaranteed places at the biennial African football
showpiece while the best two runners-up also qualify.
Defending
champions Côte d'Ivoire went to the top of Group I with a laboured 1-0 win over
second-placed Sudan in Abidjan via an opening-half goal from Gervinho.
The
Ivorians, who lifted the trophy a second time last year after a decade of
underachievement, missed injured captain Yaya Toure at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny.
Côte
d'Ivoire have four points, Sudan three and Sierra Leone one in the only
three-team mini-league.
Swaziland,
one of 16 African countries never to qualify for the Cup of Nations, stayed top
of Group L on goals scored despite being held 1-1 at home by second-place
Zimbabwe.
The
hosts made a dream start as Felix Badenhorst nodded home a cross just 90
seconds after the kick-off at Somhlolo Stadium in Lobamba.
Zimbabwe
recovered to dominate the first half, but their equaliser a minute before half-time
came gift-wrapped from the Swazis with Njabulo Ndlovu conceding an own goal.
Guinea
and Malawi failed to take advantage of the Swaziland stalemate by drawing 0-0
in Conakry, which was hosting the national team for the first time since a 2014
Ebola virus-induced ban was lifted.
Swaziland
and Zimbabwe have five points each and Malawi and top seeds Guinea two apiece.
Mauritania
joined Cameroon at the top of Group M after snatching a 2-1 victory over Gambia
in Nouakchott through a stoppage-time goal from 'Bessam'.
He
put the hosts ahead at the Stade Olympique during the opening half and Mustapha
Carayol, from English second-tier club Leeds United, levelled on the hour.
Cameroon
and Mauritania have six points each and Gambia and South Africa one each with the
Bafana Bafana away to the Indomitable Lions Saturday.
Youssef
Msakni nodded in just after half-time to give Tunisia a 1-0 win over Togo in
Monastir and top place in Group A on goal difference.
Tunisia,
Togo and Liberia all have six points while Djibouti have lost their three
matches.
The
biggest win came in the final match with winger Sofiane Feghouli and Islam
Slimani bagging braces as Algeria crushed Ethiopia 7-1 in Blida despite Yacine
Brahimi failing to convert a penalty.
Algeria have a maximum nine
points in Group J, Ethiopia four, Seychelles one and Lesotho none.
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