SAN FRANCISCO, November 15, (THEWILL) – The Pharaohs of Egypt picked up their first win in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers by beating Togo 1-0 at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday.
The result may have been different but for the notable absence of star forward Mohamed Salah, who tested positive for coronavirus ahead of the tie. However, the win means the Pharaohs join Comoros on five points at the top of Group G. Kenya is third with three points and the Sparrow Hawks of Togo are at the foot of the standings with one point.
Egypt dictated the flow of the game from early on, but because they were lacking in pace and precision, they found it difficult to break down Togo’s defence.
It all finally began to click into gear for the hosts midway through the first half. Ahmed Zizo picked out Mostafa Mohamed with a fine cross but the striker saw his header rebound off the crossbar to his dismay.
Zizo was again influential a few minutes later when he teed up Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny only for the latter to shoot wide from the edge of the area.
Togo’s first proper attacking foray ended with Gilles Sunu sending an effort off target in the 26th minute. Even though they came into the game more and more as the half progressed, they did not do enough to really trouble Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawi, leaving the game goalless at the break.
The Pharaohs finally made their dominance count in the 53rd minute. A free-kick found Elneny at the far post, and the Gunner put the ball back across goal for defender Mahmoud Hamdi to head home from close range.
However, the Egypt attack did not build on that goal and continued to stutter leaving Togo goalkeeper Malcolm Barcola mostly untested. It was Togo who seemed eager to get a result and mounted pressure for much of the latter stages of the game, forcing the North African giants onto the back foot in their search for an equaliser.
In the end, Egypt held their lead for the most crucial, even if unconvincing, victory. The win breathes major life into their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 finals in Cameroon.
The reverse fixture between the two sides is billed for Tuesday, November 17, at the Stade de Kegue in Lome, Togo.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
