The seven-time continental kings were mostly outplayed, outthought, and outfought in Garoua on Thursday evening to leave their coach fuming

Egypt national team head coach Carlos Queiroz has lamented the Pharaohs’ below-par performance in theri 1-0 defeat to Nigeria at the Roumdé Adjia Stadium, Garoua, on Tuesday.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s brilliant first-half strike – a well-taken half volley to the top corner – earned a well-deserved win and all three points on offer for the Super Eagles in their opening Group D clash.

The scoreline suggests a narrow victory, but Nigeria were dominant for the most part, particularly in the first half, with the West Africans spurning several goalscoring opportunities to make it a comfortable evening for their fans worldwide.

While the Super Eagles can celebrate a fantastic display full of energy and quality, Egypt were far from their best.

Talismanic forward Mohamed Salah was tamed in the first half, and despite raising his game after the break, he met his match in the Nigerian defence marshalled by Watford ace William Troost-Ekong.

Coach Queiroz cut a forlorn figure on the sidelines during the match, and the former Real Madrid manager could not hide his disappointment after the encounter.

“The performance in the first half was very poor, and that’s the truth, we weren’t on the pitch,” Queiroz said.

“We only started playing in the second half. There’s no clear reason behind this failure and defeat against Nigeria.

“We lost this match but there are still six points up for grabs against Sudan and Guinea-Bissau in order to qualify from the group.”

With that historic win, Nigeria went straight to the top of Group D ahead of this evening’s faceoff between Sudan and Guinea-Bissau.

The Super Eagles are now well-placed to finish as the group winners, with more favourable matches against the other group rivals still to come.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria put up a great show to defeat the Pharaohs of Egypt 1-0 in their opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations.

A Kelechi Iheanacho brilliant strike in the 30th minute was all Nigeria needed to secure an important win.

It was a dominant display from the team. This is Soccernet’s player ratings.

Maduka Okoye, 6.5/10: The Watford man was good between the sticks. He saved a shot early on in the game, but he was protected from then on. In the second half, he made a crucial save from point-blank range after Salah outpaced the Super Eagles centre backs.

Troost-Ekong, 8/10: Captain fantastic! The Watford defender marshalled his lads wonderfully, and he was firm in defence. He helped to keep the Egyptian star man Mohamed Salah quiet. His clearances were timely, and he was confident on the ball.

Kenneth Omeruo, 8/10: The Leganes defender put up an outstanding show in defence. He helped to keep the Egyptian attack at bay. He made no errors and was always there to sniff out dangerous attacks.

Ola Aina, 7/10: The former Chelsea fullback was outstanding. He kept it tight at the back and gave a lot of attacking support, especially in the second half. His forward runs often left the Egyptians in disarray.

Zaidu Sanusi, 7/10: Sanusi was outstanding in the game. He was sturdy in defence and managed brilliantly despite the Egyptians speed. He also made good forward runs. However, most of his crosses were not accurate.

Wilfred Ndidi, 8/10: the Leicester city midfielder continues to prove his worth. He was terrific in midfield. He broke play brilliantly and passed the ball well. His movements and work rate was also great.

Joe Aribo, 7/10: The former Charlton man was the engine in midfield. He had a very good game. He defended brilliantly and hardly put a foot wrong. Aribo’s passes were also accurate. With him in the middle of the park, the Super Eagles dominated.

Kelechi Iheanacho, 8/10: The Leicester City forward proved his ability yet again after his spectacular goal in the first half. He made positive runs upfront, and he formed a good partnership with Awoniyi. Even though he missed a sitter in the second half, he was very sharp on the night.

Samuel Chukwueze, 5/10: The 22-year-old had an average performance. Although his runs helped to keep the Egyptian defence at bay, he did not offer much upfront. His dribbles did not yield much, and despite being the attacker, Ola Aina, who was in the fullback position, made more attacking inputs.

Moses Simon, 8/10: The Nantes man brought his club form to the National team. He supplied the cross, which caused the only goal of the game. His runs often left the Egyptians in tatters, and his dribbles were also on point. However, most of his crosses failed to hit the target. Still, he was outstanding.

Taiwo Awoniyi, 6.5/10: The Union Berlin star made his first appearance for Nigeria at a senior tournament, but he was not overwhelmed. He used his speed and strength to trouble the Egyptian defenders. He formed good chemistry with Iheanacho up front and drew defenders to himself to create space for Iheanacho. However, he missed two chances that he should have tucked in.

Substitutes

Semi Ajayi 6/10: He quickly adjusted to the pressure from the Egyptians when he was introduced into the game. He put up a good performance.

Chidera Ejuke 6/10: The CSKA Moscow forward replaced Chukwueze, and he took his opportunity with both hands. He looked dangerous and was always positive on the ball. However, he was a bit selfish, as he could have supplied an assist late in the game after a great forward run.

Sadiq Umar 5/10: The Almeria man came on late in the game, and he had some good forward runs, but he did not affect the game much.

Kelechi Iheanacho was on target as Nigeria comfortably beat seven-time champions Egypt in their Africa Cup of Nations Group D opener.

The Leicester City striker opened the scoring in the 30th minute, burying a stunning half-volley on the turn.

Nigeria dominated throughout, with Egypt keeper Mohamed El Shenawy tipping a Taiwo Awoniyi header on to the bar and twice denying Chidera Ejuke.

The Pharaohs offered little in response after falling behind in Garoua.

Iheanacho soars for Super Eagles

Iheanacho’s performance up front will be a welcome relief to Super Eagles supporters, with fellow Nigeria strikers Victor Osimhen, Emmanuel Dennis and Odion Ighalo all forced out of the squad for Cameroon.

The Foxes man impressed throughout the first half, feeding in Awoniyi who saw a tame effort saved shortly before the break.

Nigeria, three-time African champions, continued to push for a second after half-time with El Shenawy twice keeping out substitute Chidera Ejuke in the closing stages.

Ultimately though one goal was enough for the West Africans, lead by interim manager Augustin Eguavoen with new boss Jose Peseiro only observing from the stands.

The Super Eagles had sacked long-serving boss Gernot Rohr just four weeks before the tournament following an underwhelming World Cup qualification campaign.

Pharaohs fall flat in opener

Egypt were lacklustre for much of the proceedings, managing just one shot in the opening 70 minutes.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who has reaffirmed his desires to stay at Arnfield, repeatedly found himself isolated up front as Nigeria dictated the match’s tempo.

The forward was played through by substitute Ahmed Sayed with 20 minutes remaining but his mishit shot was saved by the legs of Nigeria keeper Maduka Okoye.

Nigeria will face Sudan in Group D on Saturday (16:00 GMT), while Egypt take on Guinea-Bissau (19:00 GMT).

As promised, Sierra Leone looked the reigning African champions Algeria straight in the eye, pushing them to their last corner in the first period before putting up a Maginot Line to register their first point of the tournament.

The first half was largely to the advantage of Sierra Leone with two scoring chances for striker Alhadji Kamara

After the break, Kei Kamara was whistled for offside when he thought he had opened the scoring.

This refused goal served as a reminder to the Desert Foxes who began to come out of their torpor.

Yacine Brahimi tried to light the first match in the 50th minute but fell short on the Sierra Leonean goalkeeper.

In the 65th minute Sofiane Bendebka was blocked by Steven Caulker as the ball hit the net.

With six minutes remaining, Benrhama misses the mark on his own in the penalty area.

Until the end, the Desert Foxes laid siege to the Sierra Leone side but goalkeeper Mohamed N Kamara remained strong and made up for his defense twice.