CAIRO — Egypt put on a dominant display against Malawi to claim 2-0 victory in Group D of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.
Rui Vitoria’s side looked comfortable after Mohamed Salah opened the scoring midway through the first-half and an own-goal from Charles Petro on the stroke of halftime sealed the win.
Egypt will fly to Malawi to play them on Tuesday in the next round.
The match saw Liverpool’s Salah reach the landmark of 50 goals with the Egyptian national team.
The winger achieved the feat across 88 caps for Egypt and it took 12 years to reach since scoring his first goal for his national team in a 3–0 win against Niger back in 2011.
The Pharaohs were on top from the get-go and they signalled their intentions early on when Mohamed Abdelmonem hit the crossbar with a header from an eighth-minute free-kick.
After continuing to probe away at the opposition defence, they made the breakthrough on 20 minutes as Salah played Mohamed Hamdy into acres of space on the left and timed his run to perfection to convert the left-back’s pass from 10 yards out.
Charles Thomu had to be alert to tip the ball over the crossbar on 24 minutes after Mohamed Hany mis-queued his cross from the right towards goal and the Pharaohs threatened once more in the 33rd minute when Omar Marmoush produced an exquisite touch to bring Ahmed Hegazi’s aerial ball under control before blazing over from the right side of the box.
Malawi would have done well to go into the break just one goal down but they conceded again in stoppage time following a mistake on the left side of defence, with the ball coming out to Marmoush, whose shot from the edge of the area took a wicked deflection off Petro and looped over Thomu into the back of the net.
The Flames looked to get more physical in the second-half as they made some robust challenges early on in a bid to impose them on the game.
But Egypt was soon on the attack again and Mahmoud Hamada fired wide of the right post from just outside the area on 50 minutes after linking up with Marmoush on the left, while Abdelmonem directed a header straight at Thomu from a corner on the right on the hour mark.
Hany did superbly well to keep the ball in play on the right in the 67th minute before carrying the ball to the byline and crossing to the back post, where Marmoush steered a header straight at a grateful Thomu.
Malawi showed more attacking intent in the second-half but Mohamed el-Shenawy remained largely untroubled and Gabadinho Mhango wasted a good chance in the 80th minute when he blasted a free-kick well wide of the near post from 25 yards out on the left.
The woodwork came to the visitors’ rescue on 85 minutes after Mostafa Mohamed saw his header came back off the bar from Ahmed Zizo’s cross and Salah was unable to beat Thomu on the follow-up.
Ahmed Abdelkader almost added a third late on when he escaped his marker on the left byline and got off a shot from an acute angle that Thomu saved with an outstretched leg.
Senegal beats Mozambique
Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse said that his players should not rest on their laurels, despite picking a massive 5-1 home win against Mozambique in Group L qualifiers.
The defending champions were in roaring form, stinging the Mozambicans to earn their third successive win in Group L and move to nine points, a massive five ahead second placed Mozambique.
Senegal can comprehensively wrap up their ticket to defend their title in Ivory Coast with victory against the Mambas in next week’s return duel in Maputo.
“I am delighted because this is a match that we approached very well. We told the players to go at them from the first minute. However, the truth of the matter is tonight is not the same as the match we will play in four days’ time. In Maputo, the task will be difficult because it is not easy to win there,” the reigning African coach of the year stated.
At the Stade Me Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio, the Teranga Lions were roaring in fury and led 4-0 at the break. Sadio Mane, making a return to the national team after missing the World Cup with injury was among the goals with Youssouf Sabaly, Ilman Ndiaye and Boulaye Dia providing the other three.
DR Congo defeats Mauritania
Democratic Republic of Congo coach Sebastien Desabre has praised his players for listening to instructions that helped them to secure an important win over Mauritania.
The Congolese and Tanzania registered vital wins in their respective group matches of the qualifiers.
Desabre’s team stopped a 10-man Mauritania side 3-1 in a Group I match played at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi.
The visiting Mauritania pushed forward from the start of the match, but had Idrissa Thiam sent-off early after only 23 minutes.
Cheered on by the Congolese fans, The Leopards took the lead through French based forward Gael Kakuta after 37 minutes. After five minutes Cedric Bakambu who plies his trade with Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece made it 2-0 with a neat finish past Niass Babacar.
“I am glad the players listened to the instructions and worked hard to get this win. It’s good to see a team score three goals although we still have work to do ahead of the return leg against the same team,” said DR Congo coach Desabre after the match
After losing two matches to Gabon and Sudan last year under coach Hector Cuper, it was DR Congo’s first win in the qualifiers under a new coach Desabre who took up the job last August.
The win sends DR Congo to third place with three points, while Gabon who beat Sudan on Thursday top the Group with seven points.
In a Group F match played at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Taifa Stars of Tanzania defeated hosts Uganda Cranes 1-0.
Dickson Nickson Job’s well taken cross was connected well by Simon Msuva and gave Uganda’s goalkeeper Salim Omar Magoola no chance after 65 minutes.
The win sends Tanzania to second place in the group with 4 points, behind Algeria who lead with 9 points.
Earlier Tanzania’s captain Mbwana Ally Samatta missed the target, while Joseph Benson Ochaya’s shot was also blocked by goalkeeper Aishi Salum Manula in the first half.
Uganda Cranes coach Milutin “Micho’ Sredojovic made three changes in the second half, but his team still failed to find the goals.
Adel Amrouche, the Taifa Stars head coach who only signed a few days ago said he was not only happy with the result, but impressed by the display of his team.
“I have only been with this team for a few days and picking this win away from home is a good motivator ahead of our next home match against the same team next week in Dar es Salaam,” added Amrouche.
Guinea Bissau stuns Nigeria
Guinea Bissau head coach Baciro Cande was delighted with the performance by his players as they stunned Nigeria in Abuja, beating them 1-0 in their Group A.
Mama Samba Balde scored the solitary strike, Guinea Bissau making the most of their 31pc possession of the ball with a stunning victory over the Super Eagles infront of their home fans.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game and having watched them play in the previous matches, we knew they love scoring early to destabilize the opponents. We made sure we didn’t concede early and we scored a good goal and kept the lead. I am delighted with the players,” Cande said after the match.
The victory away from home saw the Djurtus scale top of the group with seven points, one ahead of Nigeria who lost their first match in the qualifiers. The two sides meet again next week.
Powered by their home fans in Abuja, Nigeria had started well and their best chance was in the 16th minute when Kelechi Iheanacho picked up Victor Osimhen with a brilliant through ball, but the lanky forward’s attempt to clip over the keeper was blocked.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, Balde picking a long ball behind the defense from Opa Sangante before sliding the ball past Francis Uzoho.
They should have doubled their advantage nine minutes from halftime when Fali Cande picked up Eucidalcio Gomes with a brilliant cross-field ball, but the latter hit the side netting despite sitting the keeper and a defender down.
In the second half, Nigeria threw in their all to battle to get back into the game but they were unsuccessful with Samuel Chukwueze coming close twice with curling shots while substitute Paul Onuachu had a header sail inches wide.
South Africa 2-2 Liberia
At the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa head coach Hugo Broos was left red faced as the Bafana Bafana dropped a two goal lead to draw 2-2 with Liberia. South Africa had numerous chances, but couldn’t take them and was punished by a hard fighting Liberia side.
“There is so much disappointment and anger in my body. If I should say now what I think, it might not be nice. It is very difficult,” said the tactician, as he briefly summed up his feelings from a disappointing evening.
Lyle Foster’s first half double had given South Africa a comfortable cushion, but the Lone Stars of Liberia fought in the second half with substitute Mohamed Sangare scoring at the stroke of 90 minutes, after Tonia Tisdell’s freekick had brought them within reach.
Liberia’s head coach Ansumana Keita was delighted with the result.
“This is my first international game as head coach of Liberia and my first huge game against a big opponent. There were a lot of critics, but now the critics are backing us,” the tactician said after masterminding the comeback.
He added; “It was a tough game, South Africa are a good side and play good football, but the game is about 90 minutes We were here to compete and we competed. I told my players at halftime to keep calm, focused and just go. I am happy we got the result.”
Bafana had raced to a 2-0 lead within 22 minutes. Foster broke the deadlock after nine minutes from the penalty spot after Percy tau was brought down by the keeper inside the box.
The Burnley forward doubled the tally in the 22nd minute when he sneaked in a header at the near post from a Teboho Mokoena corner. South Africa had more chances with Bongokuhle Hlongwane hitting the outside of the post one on one with the keeper, before Tau also missed a sitter.
South Africa thought they had a third in the 52nd minute, but tau’s freekick was cancelled as he took it direct when the referee had put his hand up for an indirect freekick.
Having dodged the bullet, Liberia put in a fight and they halved the deficit in the 68th minute when Tisdell’s freekick curled in from the left foot trickled past two Bafana defenders and the keeper.
They kept the fight and were rewarded when Sangare struck a sublime shot from range, keeper Ronwen Williams completely beaten.
Both Liberia and South Africa are on one point from two matches and with Morocco already qualified in the three-team Group K, pressure is on Bafana to battle for the single remaining slot.
Côte d’Ivoire 3-1 Comoros
Elsewhere at the Stade De La Paix de Bouake, hosts Côte d’Ivoire picked up a 3-1 victory over Comoros to move back top of Group H with seven points.
Sebastian Haller’s inspirational story continued, as he scored one of the three goals in his first international match since recovering from cancer. He scored a brilliant header in between Christian Kouame and Jean Philipe Krasso’s goals.
Les Elephants head coach Jean-Louis Gasset was impressed with the victory.
“We are a work in progress. When I came in, the confidence in the group was average. They are young players and they are growing. I was happy with the performance and happy to see an active team that kept working without the ball,” the tactician stated.
His opposite number Younes Zerdouk was gracious in defeat, but promised the team will fight in the return tie next week.
The score makes sense. The two halves are different. The first-half we left possession to Ivory Coast because we wanted to counter-attack them. Afterwards we got trapped and we ran after the result.
“We were up against players whose level is very high and are experienced. But we learned a lot. There are 12 points left in the group and there is everything to fight for especially in the next game when we play at home. We will fight to get a good result,” said the tactician.
Kiuame broke the deadlock after 29 minutes when Kouame raced to a through ball before sneaking it between the keeper’s legs. Before that, the Ivorians had two goals disallowed for offside.
They took the 1-0 lead to the break but Haller doubled their advantage on the hour mark with a glancing header off a Wilfried Singo cross.
They made it 3-0 in the 89th minute with a brilliant goal. The keeper hit to Ghislan Konan out wide, the latter squaring for Krasso to finish off brilliantly inside the box.
Ibroihim Youssouf scored the consolation for Comoros in added time.
Elsewhere in another match, Cape Verde and Eswatini played to a 0-0 draw.
