The Egyptian national football team flew to Malawi yesterday for their third World Cup qualifying match on Saturday, Inas Mazhar reports The Pharaohs go to Malawi carrying the maximum six points from two wins. The Egyptians beat Congo DR 2-1 in the opening match of Group 12 at Cairo Stadium. Five days later, the African champions maintained their drive towards qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In heat and humidity, Egypt beat Djibouti 4-0 in an away game attended by a low spectator turn-out. After two games, the Pharaohs are three points ahead of Malawi and DR Congo. Djibouti have no points. Mohamed Fadl and defender Abdel-Aziz Tawfik were left behind on the trip to Malawi after being injured against Djibouti. They will join six other injured players who also missed the Djibouti game. The injured are currently undergoing a special medical programme in Cairo. Djibouti spectators were excited to receive the Pharaohs and were keen to take pictures with members of the Egyptian national team. Djibouti's prime minister paid the team a visit in their hotel before the game and conveyed the greetings of the people of Djibouti. The victory took the six-time African Nations Cup winner to the top of Group 12 on six points while the Shoremen of the Red Sea, Djibouti's nickname, suffered their second successive loss of the qualifying rounds. They were beaten 8-1 by Malawi in the first match. Burly striker Amr Zaki, who missed out the Pharaoh's opening clash against DR Congo, scored the opener on 40 minutes to silence the few home crowd. The most valuable player at the 2008 Ghana Africa Cup of Nations, Hosni Abd Rabou, doubled the lead from the spot two minutes into the second half. Goals from team captain Ahmed Hassan and Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malak sealed the maximum points for the Pharaohs at the expense of Djibouti, who have never qualified for the African Cup of Nations or the World Cup. Meanwhile, DR Congo beating Malawi 1-0 in Kinshasa. A 75th-minute Zola Matumona penalty gave DR Congo the win and their first three points. In other African qualifiers, Algeria grabbed their first win of the series courtesy a 3-0 victory over the Lone Stars of Liberia in a Group 6 clash in Blida, Algeria. A brace from Olympique Marseille midfielder Karim Ziani and Rafik Djebbour restored the hopes of a next round berth for the one-time African champions. World Cup hosts South Africa, Tunisia and Kenya revived their hopes of either qualifying for the 2010 World Cup or 2010 Africa Cup of Nations or both with convincing wins on the second leg of the campaign. The trio suffered losses on the opening day of the qualifying rounds but boosted their chances of qualification with the inspiring results on Saturday. The Bafana Bafana of South Africa thrashed Equatorial Guinea, 4-1 in a Group 4 clash while Tunisia beat Seychelles 2-0 away in the same group. The Harambee Stars of Kenya secured their first win of the campaign following a 2-0 victory over the highly fancied Syli Nationale of Guinea, who have so far bagged just a point. In Pretoria, a brace from midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi and a goal each from Surprise Moriri and Thembinkosi Fanteni after almost an hour ensured South Africa's first victory for Brazilian trainer Joel Santana despite a late consolation from Juvenal Edjogo. But their stay at the top of the standings came to an end a few hours later after Joseph Yobo's 88th minute header earned Nigeria a lone goal victory Sierra Leone in Freetown. The Nigerian Super Eagles have six points, and are followed closely by South Africa and Equatorial Guinea on three points apiece with Sierra Leone languishing at the bottom pointless. In Tunisia, first half strikes from Issam Jomaa and Chaouki Ben Saada saw Portuguese trainer Humberto Coelho begin his tenure with the Carthage Eagles on a positive note. The Stallions of Burkina Faso, giant killers of day one after a 2-1 upset of Tunisia, maintained their consistency with a 2-0 win over Burundi in the other Group 9 clash. In Group 2, the Syli Nationale stumbled once again after going down 2-0 to Kenya at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. France-based striker Dennis Oliech scored in each half for the victory which pushes the Harambee Stars temporarily to the apex the standings. Elsewhere, Chad were beaten 2-1 by Guinea in a Group 10 clash in N'djamena. Chad can only qualify for the World Cup following their disqualification from the Africa Cup of Nations this week for failing to turn up for the opening clash against Sudan. Reigning CAF best footballer Frederic Kanoute scored twice, first after three minutes and the second on 20 minutes from the spot, before Betolngar Misdongar reduced the deficit nine minutes from half time also from the spot. At the Estadio da Varzea in Praia, Cape Verde stunned the Taifa Stars of Tanzania 1-0, thanks to Babanco's 73rd minute effort for their first win in Group 1, just as the Greens of Libya replicated a similar feat after an own goal by Gabon defender Bruno Manga on six minutes in a Group 5 clash. World Cup giant killers Togo got a taste of their own medicine on Sunday when crashing 2-1 to minnows Swaziland. International Siza Dlamini and Collen Salelwako scored in the second half as the Burning Spears proved too hot for the Sparrow Hawks, a shock African representative at the World Cup in Germany two years ago. It was only the second victory in 10 qualifying matches straddling 16 years for Swaziland, the tiny southern Africa kingdom whose national team is ranked 44 on the continent, 31 places below Togo. The mastermind of the Group 11 success was former South Africa coach Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba, who inherited one of the toughest tasks in African football only last month when Swiss Raul Savoy was axed. Adekamni Olufade got a late consolation goal for Togo, whose qualification for the 2006 World Cup at the expense of Senegal, Zambia and Mali triggered shock waves around the continent. Swaziland have home advantage again next Sunday when they entertain Zambia, the other team in a mini-league reduced to three by the unexplained withdrawal of Eritrea. Togo began their campaign with a victory over Zambia in neutral Ghana after being barred from staging four World Cup fixtures because their supporters assaulted two Malian players after a 2008 Nations Cup qualifier. Madagascar also made a ridicule of the monthly FIFA rankings recently released by forcing a 0-0 home draw in Antananarivo against Ivory Coast, a team 34 places above them. Ivory Coast lacked injured stars Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, but a team containing English Premiership trio Kolo Toure, Didier Zokora and Abdoulaye Meite was expected to prove too strong for the Indian Ocean islanders. The other Group 7 match also delivered an unexpected result as Botswana welcomed new coach Stanley Tshosane with a 2-1 win in Mozambique courtesy of goals from 'Dipsy' Selolwane and Boitumelo Mafoko. Rwanda (27) and Congo (30) were other countries outside the FIFA top 20 to collect maximum points and keep alive hopes of reaching the second and final qualifying phase. Olivier Karekezi was the Rwandan hero, scoring the late goal that brought a 2-1 Group 8 victory in Ethiopia, who went ahead in first half stoppage time through Tefese Tesfaye only for Said Makasi to level on 62 minutes. Congo were the latest team to expose poor travellers Sudan with Wilfrid Endzanga snatching the only goal after 70 minutes of a vital Group 10 match for the 'Red Devils' after losing in Mali last weekend. Benin were another team to bounce back as they put aside a Group 3 hammering in Angola to triumph 4-1 against Uganda in Cotonou with Sweden-based striker Razack Omotoyossi grabbing two goals. Angola, Cameroon and Ghana maintained 100 per cent records with away wins over Niger (2-1), Mauritius (3-0) and Lesotho (3-2) respectively while 10-man Senegal held out for a 0-0 Group 6 draw in neighbouring Gambia. Veteran striker Gilbert Mushangazhike scored in each half as Zimbabwe won 2-0 at home to Namibia.
