World Cup qualifier: Egypt without Salah subdue Angola, as Libya overwhelm Gabon
Egypt and Libya recorded home wins on Wednesday night in Group F Matchday 1 of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar qualifiers.
The Pharaohs scored early to beat Angola 1-0 in Cairo, while the Mediterranean Knights needed a stoppage-time goal to beat Gabon 2-1 in Benghazi.
At 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt had a penalty awarded after four minutes for a foul on Ahmed Aboul Fetouh inside the visitors’ area. From the spot, Mohamed “Afsha” Magdy made no mistake to put the Pharaohs ahead.
Despite being hot favorites to win, The Pharaohs survived numerous scares from Fabio Abreu and his team-mates, but for goalkeeper Mohamed Elshenawy who stood tall to stop all Angolan chances.
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In the second half, chances were rare for both sides, as Hossam Elbadry men cruised to a minimal but vital win at home.
The Pharaohs next stop will be Franceville, where they face Gabon next Sunday.
In the other Group F match, Libya came from behind to secure a home victory in the dying seconds over Patrice Neuveu’s Gabon in Benghazi.
It was the visitors who opened the scoring via Andre Biyogo Poko after 11 minutes.
Just before the half-hour mark, Ali Salama’s header restored parity for the hosts after a corner kick.
After the goal, Libya pushed even harder for victory, but they had to wait until the second half dying seconds.
Four minutes into injury time, Sanad EL Warfali took advantage of a counterattack to give the Mediterranean Knights a precious victory that put them on top of the group.
Libya will fly to Luanda to face Angola on Tuesday.