A first own goal was enough to give Egypt a 1-0 victory over Senegal in the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers.
Both games were billed as shootouts between Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a place in Qatar later this year. The two nations met in the Africa Cup of Nations final in February, when Mane’s side got the better of Egypt on penalties after a goalless draw.
However, on this occasion it was Egypt who took the win, although more work is needed next week in the second leg, with an even smaller advantage.
Saliou Ciss’ own goal proved to be the only goal of the match as Pharaohs goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawi managed to avoid Mané, Ismaila Sarr and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Salah took advantage of the slowness of the Senegalese defense and hit the crossbar, the ball ricocheting into the net thanks to a deflection from Ciss.
In the last CAF qualifying round, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocco drew 1-1. Islam Slimani’s goal was enough for Algeria to win 1-0 over Cameroon, while that Tunisia beat Mali by the same score with an own goal. by Moussa Sissako – the same player was sent off four minutes later.
The other main game of the evening was between Ghana and Nigeria, but the teams could not be separated in Kumasi with the tie to be decided in the second leg in Abuja.
2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – CAF Third Round First Leg Results
DR Congo 1-1 Morocco
Cameroon 0-1 Algeria
Mali 0-1 Tunisia
Egypt 1-0 Senegal
Ghana 0-0 Nigeria