Defensive blunder costs Nigeria dearly

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.

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 equalised.

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 threetime winners Nigeria halfway through the sixround 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 Ivory Coast went to the top of Group I with a laboured 10 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.

Ivory Coast have four points, Sudan three and Sierra Leone one in the only three-team mini-league.—