Fresh off tournament-opening wins at the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt and South Africa lock horns in Agadir on Friday in what is likely to determine the winner of Group B.
Mohamed Salah scored a last-gasp winner against Zimbabwe, while Lyle Foster netted Bafana Bafana’s clincher against Angola to put both teams level in the group ahead of the second round of matches in the section.
Hossam Hassan has promised improvements after Zimbabwe gave Egypt a fright in their opening fixture at the Cup of Nations.
Predicted to win comfortably, the seven-time African champions fell behind in the first half and looked to be running out of ideas until Omar Marmoush’s moment of ingenuity brought them level.
With a draw looking likely, it was none other than Salah who scored the game-clinching strike in second-half stoppage time, becoming the first Egyptian player to score at five editions of the continental showpiece.
The Pharaohs, however, know that the level of play must be higher against Friday’s opponents, whom they have not defeated since November 2006.
With the Pharaohs suffering a 1-0 defeat the last time these teams played competitively — at AFCON 2019 in Cairo — the North African giants know they cannot approach this encounter casually, especially since Bafana Bafana are much improved.
Hugo Broos once denied Egypt a continental title with Cameroon in 2017, and the wily old manager aims to inflict another defeat on the seven-time African champions this weekend.
The 73-year-old manager did not have to wait as long as Hassan to see his team triumph in the first round of matches, but there was a long wait after Show brought the Palancas Negras level in the 35th minute, 14 minutes after Oswin Appollis put the 1996 champions ahead.
It was Burnley forward Foster who netted the game-deciding strike with 11 minutes of the 90 remaining, handing Bafana Bafana a much-needed victory on Monday.
By scoring at the Cup of Nations while playing for a Premier League club, Foster emulated Phil Masinga, formerly of Leeds United, who netted against Cameroon in 1996 as the first South African to achieve the feat at the Cup of Nations while representing a club in England’s top flight.
Such statistics would mean little if not followed by a positive showing against the Pharaohs, and South Africa could seal their last-16 place with success over the continent’s greatest side.
Egypt possible starting lineup:
El Shenawy; Hany, Ibrahim, Abdelmaguid, Fatouh; Attia, Fathy; Salah, Marmoush, Trezeguet; Mohamed
South Africa possible starting lineup:
Williams; Mudau, Ngezana, Mbokazi, Modiba; Mokoena, Sithole; Nkota, Mbule, Appollis; Foster
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