Razeen Gutta
Umdlalo omuhle kaKelechi Iheanacho wenze umehluko njengoba i-Nigeria iwathole wonke amaphuzu amathathu ngenkathi idlala ne-Egypt kaMo Salah emdlalweni we-Afcon 2021.
Umdlalo obuphakathi kwezintandokazi ezimbili zomqhudelwano uqale kancane ngokuthi kungabibikho qembu elakha amagoli esiwombeni sokuqala somdlalo.
Ushintsho lugcine luqhamuke ngesigamu sehora ngenkathi uJoe Aribo we-Rangers eheha umgadli we-Leicester City u-Iheanacho, osize iqembu lakhe osize linqobe.
I-Egypt ihlulekile ukuziqoqa ngenkathi ama-Super Eagles ekhuthazwe yigoli lawo.
Ibizowina ngamagoli angaphezu kwelilodwa i-Nigeria ukube u-Ahmed Hegazi ubengadlali ubengayivikeli i-Egypt. Owake wadlala maphakathi ku-West Brom uvikele iqembu lakhe emabholeni angenayo ngendlela eyisimanga kwaze kwaba sekugcineni.
Owayengumdlali we-Liverpool uTaiyo Awonyi ubengalishaya igoli lesibili ngaphambi nje kwekhefu, kodwa ngokumangalisayo unozinti we-Egypt, uMohamed El Shenawy wakuvimba lokho.
Wonke amehlo ebethe njo kuMohamed Salah ngaphambi komdlalo njengoba abalandeli abaningi bethi mhlawumbe ungumdlali ongcono kakhulu emhlabeni osefomini yamanje. Kodwa umdlali wase-Egypt wenze umsebenzi omncane kakhulu emdlalweni, futhi wahluleka ukuziveza.
I-Nigeria ikwazile ukumvimba ukuthi angene emapalini ngenkathi kuvela ithuba elilodwa ekuqaleni kwesiwombe sesibili lapho ama-Super Eagles avikelayo abenesiqiniseko sokuthi adlalise umshayimagoli ohamba phambili ku-Premier League i-offside. Ifulegi belilokhu liphansi, kodwa umdlali wase-Egypt akakwazanga ukuphakamisa ibhola phezu kukanozinti futhi isibalo samagoli sahlala sinjalo.
I-Egypt inethemba lokuthi izoshaya amagoli uma isibhekene ne-Guinea-Bissau ngoMgqibelo.