Egypt snatched a narrow win to go into the second battle with a clear advantage over the AFCON champions.
Egypt defeated Senegal 1-0 in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying tie on Friday. The Pharaohs successfully completed half of their revenge plan after the Africa Cup of Nations final while Senegal struggled to find their feet at the Cairo Stadium.
Salah and Mane face off on the road to Qatar!
Less than two months after Senegal defeated Egypt in the AFCON final, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah faced each other once again.
An early own goal from Salou Cisse in the fourth minute provided the Pharaohs with an excellent start to the game. Carlos Queiroz’s side then sat deep in defence, patiently waiting for their opponents to make the slightest mistake in their buildup play.
Senegal were too precise in midfield to give up opportunities to Salah and co. Aliou Cisse’s side provided several passes for Mane behind Egypt’s backline. However, they lacked enough edge to convert their chances throughout the game.
An injury to centre-back Abdou Diallo will be another source of concern for Cisse, whose side must try to come back from the 1-0 defeat.
What to expect in the second leg?
Judging on what we have seen lately from the Pharaohs, they will most likely continue to defend their lead in the second leg.
However, if Senegal manage to score the aggregate equalizer on home soil, we will most likely see Queiroz’s side display a more attacking performance on Tuesday. Let’s see if either of the Liverpool forwards can score in the upcoming game.
Player Ratings
Egypt: El Shenawy (8), Gaber (7), Abdelmonem (6), Hamdy (7), Fatouh (7). Hamdi Fathi (6), Elneny (5), El Soleya (5), Salah (6), Mohamed (7), Trezegue (6).
Bench: Ibrahim (7), Donga (6), Marmoush (7).
Senegal: E. Mendy (7), Bouna Sarr (7), Koulibaly (7), Diallo (6), Ciss (6). Kouyate (5), N. Mendy (6), Gueye (7), I. Sarr (6), Diedhiou (6), Mane (7).
Bench: Cisse (7), P. Gueye (-), Bamba Dieng (6)
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