Siasia (right) dishes out instructions to three of his boys during the match
Taiwo Adelu
Coach of Egyptian Young Pharaohs, Hossam Al Badri, has boasted that his team have good chances of qualifying ahead of Nigeria for the next stage of the ongoing U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Senegal 2015.
Egypt came from two goals down to hold Nigeria to a 2-2 draw in their second group B clash on Wednesday at the Caroline Faye Stadium, M’Bour.
Midfielder Etebo Peter Oghenekaro converted two penalties to give Nigeria a 2-0 lead at half time, but the Pharaohs responded strongly in the second half and levelled up the scores through Ramadan Sobhi Ahmed and substitute Mamdouh El Sayed.
The result leaves Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt in contention for the group’s two tickets for the next round. Algeria and Nigeria share top spot with four points apiece, Egypt have two points and Mali have no point.
Egypt coach is confident of getting three points against Mali, leaving Nigeria with the option of beating Algeria to qualify.
Coach Al Badri confessed that the match against Nigeria was so difficult for them but commended the strong spirit of his boys.
He said all hope is not lost as they look forward to playing the whipping boys of the group, Mali, who he is sure of defeating.
“It was a difficult game for us. We were down by two goals from penalties, and we had to come back stronger. It was very complicated for the players but they responded in the second half. We dominated in the second half and we deservingly equalized,” Cafonline quoted Al Badri to have said after the match.
He, however, told his boys that “we have to win against Mali to boost our chances. We still have a chance.”
Nigeria coach, Samson Siasia felt bitter that his Dream Team VI may shatter the dream of Nigeria playing in the football event of the Rio 2016 Games.
“We did not play in the second half and we cannot continue like this, if we want to go to the Olympics. We have to be careful. We tend to lose concentration in the second half and have to fix it.
“It was the case in the first game against Mali and the same thing happened against Egypt. It is no longer funny. It will be a tough battle against Algeria, and we have to be careful about the North African sides, they attack left and right,” Siasia lamented.
U-23 Nations Cup: We’ve good chance to qualify, says Egypt coach
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