We Were Lucky To Get The Equaliser- Egypt Coach

 

Egypt head coach Hector Cuper has said that his side were lucky enough to escape with a draw against Nigeria in Group G tie of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Kaduna on Friday. Mohamed Salah equalised the goal in stoppage time to secure a valuable 1-1 draw away to Nigeria after Etebo Oghenekaro had put the host up in the 60th minute.

Cuper has said that the draw came as a reward for team’s hard work in the game, saying “I can't deny that we were lucky to score the equaliser against Nigeria, but it was a reward for our performance through the whole match. Nigeria is a strong team with excellent players who have a winning mentality as they play for big European clubs. We delivered an outstanding performance in the first half, but we had some faults in the second and we didn't maintain the same level. We will work to amend these mistakes in the coming period”.

Egypt sit on top of the table with seven points with Nigeria in second place with five points and with only the leader of the group guaranteed automatic qualifications for next year’s Nations Cup finals in Gabon. Egypt have not qualified for the Nations Cup since they last won it in 2010 and would want to be in Gabon after missing out on three consecutive tournaments.