The Super Eagles of Nigeria are no longer in a position to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) holding in Gabon, after falling to a 1-0 defeat to Egypt in Alexandria.
The Eagles who went into the match trailing Egypt by two points with just one further match to go following Chad’s withdrawal from the qualifiers, needed a win to to stand a chance of qualifying for the the championship.
Their much improved performance did not however prevent the Egyptians from taking the lead through 19-year-old Ramadan Sobhi’s tame shot towards the goal managed to evade three Nigerian defenders and the goalkeeper.
The Eagles fought back resiliently, Victor Moses going closest with a finely-hit long-range effort that came back off the inside of the post. In the end, it was too little too late, as the Egyptians held on to their narrow lead to condemn Nigeria to a second consecutive failure to qualify for the Cup of Nations.