LILONGWE/ CAPE TOWN – Without star forward Mohamed Salah, record African champions Egypt was stunned by Ethiopia as World Cup-bound Morocco and Cameroon recorded narrow victories in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Egypt were without injured Mohamed Salah, Mohamed Eel-Neny and Mahmoud Trezeguet lost 2-0 in their second Group D match
Salah missed the game due to injury and his absence was felt as first half goals from Dawa Hotessa and skipper Shemeles Bekele earned Ethiopia a well deserved victory.
Hotessa broke the deadlock after 21 minutes with a sliding finish that beat keeper Mohamed Abou Gabal. The forward stretched in to direct the ball home after some fine work from Abubaker Nasser who had done the donkey work on the right to lay in a cross.
Just before the goal, Ethiopia had tested Gabal with Gatuoch Panom’s shot from distance which the keeper calmly collected.
Nasser came inches close to making it 2-0 for Ethiopia in the 24th minute when he ran on to a through ball from the middle, but his shot past the keeper hit the upright and rolled away.
He thought he had scored in the 34th minute when he tapped home a cross from the right, but the referee’s flag was up for offside.
The Walia Ibex however finished the half with the second goal five minutes to the break through Bekele’s thumping shot from inside the box. The skipper had started the move himself, spreading to Amanuel Gebremichael who played him through on goal.
After the goal Egypt made a surprising decision to throw in three changes, Mohamed Magdy ‘Afsha’, Amr el-Solia and Ayman Ashraf all coming off for Ibrahim Adel, Kamal Omar and Mohanad Lasheen.
Despite the changes, Ethiopia still forced them to play deep in the second half and their ambition to get a way back into the match wasn’t as successful.
Guinea defeats Malawi
Elsewhere at the General Lansana Conte Stadium in Conakry, Naby Keita scored late into added time as hosts Guinea beat Malawi 1-0 to storm to their first victory in the qualifiers.
The game seemed to be heading for a draw until Keita struck the winner for the home side, earning a well deserved win after putting in the pressure and looking more hungry.
With the victory, Guinea moved to third in the standings below Malawi, with all teams in the group sitting on three points.
Both sides had some chances in the opening half. Keita had a go at goal in the 27th minute when he stretched out his feet to connect to a cross from the right but it went wide.
In the 34th minute, midfielder Amadou Diawara had a chance for Guinea when he rose at the backpost to connect to a corner, but he headed just wide.
At the tail end of the first half, Malawi had a chance when Khuda Muyaba broke away on the right and into the box, but the effort was blocked by the hawk eyed Guinean keeper.
It remained a close encounter in the second half. The best chance fell on Guinea, with Serhou Guirassy missing a golden opportunity as he slashed a shot just wide off a cross from the left two minutes after the restart.
Substitute Ilaix Moriba also had a chance with an 85th minute freekick from range, but he struck it inches over the bar.
The late drive bore fruit, with Keita sending the stadium into frenzy with his late winner.
Morocco stuns South Africa
Ayoub el-Kaabi stepped off the bench to score a sublime 88th minute winner as Morocco came from a goal down to beat a stubborn South Africa side 2-1 in their opening Group K match.
Bafana shot stopper Ronwen Williams had put on a superb show to keep his side in the game, but he was breached with a late winner as the Atlas Lions started off their campaign on a winning note at home.
Youssef En Nesyri had scored a second half equalizer to cancel out Lyle Foster’s seventh minute goal, and El Kaabi ensured all points were guarded with a volleyed finish two minutes to full time.
While South Africa went to the break with a single goal lead, all the plaudits were on their goalkeeper Williams who kept them in the game with brilliant saves.
The visitors got an early seventh minute lead when Foster struck low past the keeper after being played through by a defense splitting pass from Sphephelo Sithole. But that was mostly about it as far as the Bafana Bafana attack was concerned.
From then on, it turned out to be a duel between the Moroccan forward line and keeper Williams.
The shot stopper made two brilliant saves within a minute after the quarter hour mark to deny Youssef En Nesyri. The keeper first made a point blank save to parry away his strong header from a cross on the left before making a flying save to deny the striker’s curling left footed effort.
Cameroon beats Burundi
Karl Toko Ekambi’s expertly executed freekick in the first half was all Cameroon needed to start their qualifiers on a winning note with a 1-0 victory over Burundi in Dar es Salaam.
Cameroon was to play Kenya in their opening match last weekend but the game was called off with the Harambee Stars still under FIFA suspension.
But the Indomitable Lions remained focused and started their journey with a win away against a Burundi side which started off the qualifiers with an away draw against Namibia.
Elsewhere, 10-man Mali came from a goal down to beat South Sudan 2-1 in a game played at the St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende, Uganda.
